TUI airplane compelled to land as 187 passengers prone to growing lethal situation
A TUI aircraft was involved in a “serious incident” over the UK, putting nearly 200 passengers and six crew members at risk of a potentially fatal condition. The Boeing 737-8K5, carrying 187 passengers, was on its way to Kos Airport in Greece after departing from Manchester Airport at 6.06am on October 17, 2023.
A cabin altitude warning just minutes into the flight alerted staff to a “serious incident” on board, according to a report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch, as it was discovered that two crucial systems had been switched off. The report stated: “Both engine bleed air systems had been inadvertently left off for the departure, so the aircraft failed to pressurise.”
Crews reactivated the systems, which had been turned off by engineers during routine maintenance and not switched back on, thinking they had resolved the issue, but soon encountered another problem.
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As reported by the Grimsby Telegraph, as the pilots continued to ascend, the master caution illuminated, signalling a fault with the aircraft’s right air conditioning pack. After consulting with the operator’s maintenance control, the commander decided to return to Manchester Airport.
(Image: AAIB)
However, the plane was overweight, forcing them to enter a holding pattern and burn fuel before they could land, reports the Mirror.
During this period, the report reveals, the crew failed to carry out the necessary cabin altitude drills with passengers. The oxygen mask light stayed on for approximately 43 minutes while crew and passengers were left “exposed to the risk of hypoxia”, a dangerous condition where the body is deprived of oxygen, that could be fatal.
The report discovered that at that moment, the “altitude window” caused “hypoxic exposure” significant enough to potentially impact people’s cognitive performance. It concluded: “As the aircraft did not pressurise, the crew and passengers were exposed to the risk of hypoxia. At cabin altitudes above 10,000 ft but below 14,000 ft, without the pre-existence of significant medical issues, the likelihood of loss of consciousness is very small.
“However, in this altitude window, the hypoxic exposure can be sufficient to affect cognitive performance and decision-making to the point where the decline would be observable in cognitive tests. In this range of altitudes there are many variables that affect the severity and impact of hypoxia, including duration of exposure, rate of hypoxia onset (eg rate of climb if no pressurisation), physical workload, fatigue, individual responses and type of task being performed.”
The plane touched down at Manchester Airport, safe and sound at 8.10am after its holding routine. The report further revealed that the captain, who was on-call from 3am and woke up at 1 in the morning upon learning he had to be at Manchester Airport by 4.30am, operated on a mere three hours of sleep.
(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
It later highlighted: “Though the commander did not believe fatigue was a factor in this event, the analysis of his roster over the eight weeks preceding the event and the rest period immediately before it suggest that fatigue could still have been a contributory factor.
“It should be noted that fatigue, particularly chronic fatigue, can be insidious such that an individual may not recognise the symptoms in themselves.”
On October 17, the plane, registered as G-TAWD, landed without any issues, but just three days later, it veered off the runway amid tempestuous weather conditions. Following Storm Babet, a separate AAIB inquiry concluded the aircraft “suffered a catastrophic failure” resulting in minor damage, thankfully with no subsequent injuries.
TUI has been approached for a statement.
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