Boeing 757-200 / G-LSAA / emergency landing in Athens
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Emergency diversion of Jet2 2113 in Athens
The flight of Jet2.com 2113 from Manchester (MAN) to Taba, Egypt (TAB) had to divert to Athens due to an emergency on Monday, March 2nd 2009. Captain declared an emergency due to a rapid depressurization. The plane was carrying 183 passengers and 9 crew members. ATC gave priority to this flight and was vectored for landing on runway 21L in Athens. After a safe landing at around 15:30L, a few passengers had to be taken to hospital since they had problems with their ears due to the depressurization. The plane involved is a Boeing 757-200 registered G-LSAA.
Boeing 757-200 / G-LSAA / emergency landing in Athens
Boeing 757-200 / G-LSAA / emergency landing in Athens
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Here is the story that a passenger onboard the Jet2.com flight 2113 told me:
ReplyDelete"We were apparently at 37,000 feet when I heard a bang towards the back of the airplane. I was sat on 36F by the window about ten rows from the back. Then the plane seemed to drop instantly as if we had hit a bad patch of turbulence. A prerecorded message announced there had been an emergency. The 'rubber jungle' oxygen masks did not drop. There was no mass panic but a lot of very anxious passengers. One or two had their hands raised trying to get the door to drop to release the oxygen masks. The cabin crew were walking about with the portable oxygen cylinders giving oxygen to those who needed it. Listening to the pilot afterwards all three systems to maintain the cabin pressure failed. He said the oxygen masks not dropping was correct. He took us down to below 10,000 feet in what seemed like ten or fifteen minutes. Personally no breathing problems but extreme inner ear pain as you might expect. I think all passengers had either ear or sinus problems during the rapid descent.
The pilot said we travelled 140 miles around Athens airport in a circular pattern while descending as the sky was busy with other airport traffic. If the sky had not been so busy I think he said he would have brought us down in a straighter line much quicker. The pilot said in 25 years of flying he had never known all three pressurization systems to fail to operate.
The captain made an announcement after we broke through the clouds to say we had lost cabin pressure and he was diverting to Athens airport. On landing the fire tenders followed us along the runway which added to the anxious state of a lot of passengers. I heard five people were taken to hospital by paramedics who boarded as soon as we came to a stop. All five were later sent back with the all clear to fly later. Two elderly male passengers needed to be checked over by paramedics about two or three hours later while we were waiting in the terminal. I heard one of the five who needed to be checked out in hospital was a baby who was unconscious when we landed, two people had asthma attacks and I believe a few had nose bleeds.
From what I have since read on the internet I do not think it was a case of 'explosive' cabin decompression. more likely the valve at the back that regulates the cabin pressure possibly failed / malfunctioned.
We eventually boarded a replacement plane sent out from Manchester about six or seven hours later (minus one female passenger who settled her nerves with on too many glasses of wine). Jet2.com crew and the staff at Athens airport did everything they could to answer passengers questions and make the unexpected stay at Athens as comfortable as possible."
Passenger36F
Another passenger's story of what happened as he send it to me:
ReplyDelete"First sign of anything wrong, was discomfort in my ears. This was mild at first, but after about 30 seconds, I heard a dull thud, and the discomfort increased in severity.
The senior flight attendant then made a PA asking all pax to return to their seats immediately and fasten their seat belts securely.
Then there was a PA from the captain "Emergency descent, emergency descent", and it became obvious that the a/c was descending rapidly (noise and attitude)
The cabin crew strapped in and donned oxygen masks.
The Pax oxygen masks did not deploy, although some pax forced open the overhead panels to get to them.
The senior flight attendant then announced that the Captain had purposely not deployed the pax oxygen masks as they were not required.
Everyone remained calm, and after about 3-4 mins, the captain announced "Emergency descent complete" and informed us that the a/c pressurisation system had failed and we were diverting to Athens.
The cabin crew then attended each pax in turn to check we were all ok, and then secured the cabin for landing.
The landing was completely normal, and once we arrived on stand, paramedics boarded the a/c to attend to some elderly pax, and also one infant who was unconcious.
Once these people had been dealt with we were allowed to disembark into the terminal."
Skysod