Flyers bleed midair as Jet crew skips key drill
Cabin pressure drop triggers panic, probe ordered
NEWDELHI: What should have been an uneventful 105-minute hop from Mumbai to Jaipur turned into a nightmare for 166 passengers of Jet Airways flight 9W 697, after the crew forgot to turn on the so-called “bleed switch” resulting in a drop in cabin pressure that caused headaches, and bleeding noses and ears and forcing the flight to return to Mumbai. It was all over in 48 minutes but it left the passengers scared and mentally scarred and promoted the civil aviation minister to set up a probe.
The flight’s cockpit crew has been taken off scheduled duties pending investigation.
The pilot in command (PIC) of the flight had an experience of 14 years with five years as a commander. The incident, possibly the first of its kind in India, saw emergency masks being automatically deployed and 30 passengers being rushed to a hospital for treatment.
Experts said fluctuations in air pressure inside aircraft cabins is not unusual but it is rare for cabin pressure to change drastically because of human error. 9W697, carrying 166 passengers and five crew members, was originally scheduled to depart at 5.55am, but took off at 6.16am. According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the crew forgot to select the bleed switch during the climb due to which cabin pressure could not be maintained, causing discomfort to passengers. The flight returned to the airport at around 7.04 am. Minister of civil aviation Suresh Prabhu has instituted an investigation into the incident by the Aircraft Accident Investigation
Bureau.
“The 9W 697 Mumbai-Jaipur flight was turned back to Mumbai after takeoff as, during the climb, crew forgot to select switch to maintain cabin pressure. This resulted in the oxygen masks dropping,” said Lalit Gupta, deputy director general, DGCA .
“Thirty out of 166 passengers experienced nose and ear bleeding, some also complained of headache,” Gupta said.
Jet Airways, in a statement, said it would assist DGCA in the investigation. “Following the airturn back of Jet Airways’ flight of 20th September, 2018; 144 of the 166 guests of the original flight traveled to Jaipur via an alternative flight of the airline, while 17 of them wished to travel at another point in time. 5 guests who were referred to a hospital for additional medical check-up accompanied by the Jet Airways’ Care team have since been released, post medical examination.” The airline didn’t apologise for the incident. At the time of going to print, none of the passengers were planning to sue the airline for the incident. But one of the passengers, Ankur Kala, demanded compensation of Rs 30 lakh and 100 upgrade vouchers from the airline. Sources in the airline confirmed the passenger has asked for a compensation, threatening legal action.