It felt like a pin was being pierced into my ears, recounts passenger
Flyers Say After Oxygen Masks Dropped, Neither Cabin Crew Nor Pilot Made Any Announcement
Manju.V@timesgroup.com
Mumbai:21.09.2018
At least five passengers of a Jet Airways flight suffered ear and nose bleeding due to low cabin pressure early on Thursday during the aircraft’s ascent here. Both pilots are grounded and the Aircaft Accident Investigation Bureau has begun an inquiry.
Jet Airways said the five, taken to hospital, have been released. It added that 144 of the 166 passengers later travelled to Jaipur by an alternative flight.
The switch that works the crucial air-conditioning in the pressurized aircraft cabin is usually kept on. “Omission of such vital items after takeoff checklist, such as putting engine bleeds ON, is sheer negligence of standard operating procedure which could have led to a major emergency if both the pilots had also suffered an ear injury, like some of the passengers, said a senior pilot. Ankur Gala, 38, one of the five passengers taken to Nanavati hospital, had blood stains on his trousers. “It felt like a pin was being pierced into both my ears. Passengers were in a state of shock,” said Gala. “After the oxygen masks fell, there was no announcement or any instruction from the cabin crew. I put on the mask, but blood from my nose collected into the mask and dripped onto my clothes,” he added.
Some of the passengers who finally arrived in Jaipur at 12.30pm were shocked that flying could be so terrifying. “I was experiencing pain in my nose and ears and I thought it could be my problem only, though I have been a frequent flyer. Thereafter, I saw the passenger next to me bleeding from the nose. Suddenly oxygen masks came down. Shockingly, neither the cabin crew nor the captain made any announcement. We landed at the terminal at Mumbai and it was utter chaos initially,” said Prashant Sharma.
The 11-year-old Boeing 737 (VT-JGS) operating Jet flight 9W69 lifted off from Mumbai airport at 6.15am. Aircraft climb at a rate of about 1,500 feet per minute and so the Jet aircraft would have crossed 10,000 feet altitude within fivesix minutes, which was when the cabin altitude aural warning would have gone off (see graphic).
For the full report, log on to www.timesofindia.com(Inputs by Sumitra Deb Roy and Malathy Iyer)
Aviation ministry orders safety audit of all airlines, airports
New Delhi
: Civil aviation minister Suresh Prabhu on Thursday ordered a safety audit of all scheduled airlines and airports amid recent incidents related to safety of passengers.
The minister has also ordered a probe into the Jet Airways flight incident, which is being investigated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), an official statement said. “Minister has further directed that safety audit should be commenced forthwith and a report to this effect should be submitted for his perusal within 30 days,” a statement from the ministry added. TNN
Flyers Say After Oxygen Masks Dropped, Neither Cabin Crew Nor Pilot Made Any Announcement
Manju.V@timesgroup.com
Mumbai:21.09.2018
At least five passengers of a Jet Airways flight suffered ear and nose bleeding due to low cabin pressure early on Thursday during the aircraft’s ascent here. Both pilots are grounded and the Aircaft Accident Investigation Bureau has begun an inquiry.
Jet Airways said the five, taken to hospital, have been released. It added that 144 of the 166 passengers later travelled to Jaipur by an alternative flight.
The switch that works the crucial air-conditioning in the pressurized aircraft cabin is usually kept on. “Omission of such vital items after takeoff checklist, such as putting engine bleeds ON, is sheer negligence of standard operating procedure which could have led to a major emergency if both the pilots had also suffered an ear injury, like some of the passengers, said a senior pilot. Ankur Gala, 38, one of the five passengers taken to Nanavati hospital, had blood stains on his trousers. “It felt like a pin was being pierced into both my ears. Passengers were in a state of shock,” said Gala. “After the oxygen masks fell, there was no announcement or any instruction from the cabin crew. I put on the mask, but blood from my nose collected into the mask and dripped onto my clothes,” he added.
Some of the passengers who finally arrived in Jaipur at 12.30pm were shocked that flying could be so terrifying. “I was experiencing pain in my nose and ears and I thought it could be my problem only, though I have been a frequent flyer. Thereafter, I saw the passenger next to me bleeding from the nose. Suddenly oxygen masks came down. Shockingly, neither the cabin crew nor the captain made any announcement. We landed at the terminal at Mumbai and it was utter chaos initially,” said Prashant Sharma.
The 11-year-old Boeing 737 (VT-JGS) operating Jet flight 9W69 lifted off from Mumbai airport at 6.15am. Aircraft climb at a rate of about 1,500 feet per minute and so the Jet aircraft would have crossed 10,000 feet altitude within fivesix minutes, which was when the cabin altitude aural warning would have gone off (see graphic).
For the full report, log on to www.timesofindia.com(Inputs by Sumitra Deb Roy and Malathy Iyer)
Aviation ministry orders safety audit of all airlines, airports
New Delhi
: Civil aviation minister Suresh Prabhu on Thursday ordered a safety audit of all scheduled airlines and airports amid recent incidents related to safety of passengers.
The minister has also ordered a probe into the Jet Airways flight incident, which is being investigated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), an official statement said. “Minister has further directed that safety audit should be commenced forthwith and a report to this effect should be submitted for his perusal within 30 days,” a statement from the ministry added. TNN
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