The Boeing 737-8K5 took off from Manchester Airport at 6:06am on 17 October, 2023, and a report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has looked into what happened.
Just six minutes after takeoff, there was a cabin altitude warning when the aircraft travelled over North Lincolnshire, expecting to land at Kos Airport in Greece, the AAIB said.
An unrelated incident at Bradford Leeds Airport three days later (AAIB)
The report claims that ‘both engine bleed air systems had been inadvertently left off for the departure’ and that the plane was unable to ‘pressurise’.
During pre-flight checks, both engines should have been turned on.
After spotting the issues, airline staff were able to successfully turn on both systems, but then another problem occurred when climbing mid air.
The master caution lit up and warned that there was a fault in the right air conditioning pack.
To avoid any risk, the decision was made for the aircraft to return to Manchester Airport.
“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,” the report said.
“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.
No one was injured during or after the flight (OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
“In this range of altitudes it is also difficult to separate the relative contribution of hypoxia versus other performance degraders such as fatigue, distraction or other human performance issues.”
The report states that ‘the aircraft’s passenger oxygen system would have deployed automatically when the cabin altitude reached 14,000 ft’.
It added: “As progressive exposure to hypoxia increased, the likelihood of the crew taking correct recovery actions would have decreased.”
Suggestions were also made that the commander only had three hours of sleep the previous night and ‘had carried out a significant number of overtime duties’ over the previous weeks.
“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,” it said.
Thankfully the TUI aircraft landed safely at Manchester Airport at 8:10am and nobody was injured.
Though just three days later on 20 October, the same plane ‘suffered a catastrophic failure’ during an unrelated incident after troubling weather conditions from Storm Babet meant the jet was forced to land at Leeds Bradford Airport. No one was injured.
LADbible Group has contacted TUI for comment.
Featured Image Credit: AAIB/OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images
Anish Vij
Flight attendant tells passengers real reason cabin crew say hello to you as you board
Cabin crew don’t just greet you to be polite
A flight attendant has revealed the real reason why they greet each passenger as they board the plane – and it’s not just to be polite.
As you make your way onto a plane, you tend to be greeted by a smiling flight attendant before spending far too long trying to locate your seat.
While it may seem like staff are simply being friendly, there’s actually a whole other reason why they try to welcome each passenger as they board.
Rania when welcoming people onboard a flight. (TikTok/@itsmekikooooo)
Many of us like to enjoy a couple of overpriced drinks in the terminal bar areas before flying. Suddenly, you hear the ‘final call’ (although it lasts for a long time) and you’re rushing to the departure gate.
We’ve all been there.
The friendly staff member then greets you as you board, but you’re unaware that the warm welcome is only part of the task they’ve been given in that moment.
According to one flight attendant who flies across Europe, cabin crew are actually analysing every passenger for other motives as they board the plane.
Over on TikTok, flight attendant Rania (@itsmekikooooo) revealed the real reason why she says hi to every single passenger as they board the plane, leaving social media users shocked.
Rania said: “Your flight attendant greets you, not only out of politeness, but also to check whether you are too drunk or sick to fly.”
Not only this, checking people out is also to analyse which passengers could help cabin crew in the unfortunate event of an emergency, she added in the video’s description.
Social media users were quick to share their thoughts in the comment section.
One person commented, alluding to already knowing this, saying: “I had pancreatitis when I was in Corfu, I acted normal going on to the plane; otherwise, I knew they wouldn’t let me on.”
Flight attendants have shared some secrets about flying. (Robert Alexander/Getty Images)
A second person joked: “Me with headphones walking on the plane completely ignoring the flight attendants…”
While a third said: “Ah okay this makes a lot of sense, I always get the same look going on flights.”
Another flight attendant in the comment section also added: “We look for anyone who hasn’t got any mobility issues, can speak English, looks like they will be able to open a door and ideally travelling alone.
“That makes you an ABP (able-bodied person).”
Many cabin crew have shared advice online recently, with one even revealing why you really shouldn’t ask them out when doing their job.
In a sit-down interview with LADbible, another person in the industry revealed exactly what happens when people try and join the mile high club while flying through the skies.
Featured Image Credit: TikTok / @itsmekikooooo
Danni King
Terrifying moment Boeing plane catches fire mid air with 249 passengers on board
The Boeing plane had departed Rome for Shenzhen in China
The terrifying moment a Boeing passenger plane caught on fire mid-air has been captured on camera.
Yesterday (10 November), a Hainan Airlines departed from Fiumicino Airport, Rome at 9.55am local time when one of the engines burst into flames shortly after take-off.
Footage recorded on the ground showed the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner plane making a crackling noise as it flew overheard, while orange flames could be seen shooting out from one of the engines.
Take a look at the terrifying footage below:
Hainan Airlines right now FCO ✈️
The aircraft had departed from the Italian capital and was en-route to Shenzhen in China, carrying 249 passengers and 16 crew members.
It’s understood the aircraft was able to turn back and make a successful emergency landing at the airport after fuel dumping over the sea, a procedure which is common ahead of an emergency landing.
A statement from the Italian Coast Guard later confirmed the plane engine had apparently been struck by a bird before take-off, however there were no further delays at the airport, Reuters reports.
Orange flames could be seen spitting out from one of the engines (X/@JOOP99999)
Why are birds such a significant threat to aircraft?
Given the size of a bird in relation to an aircraft, you wouldn’t think they’d be much of a concern for pilots – however bird strikes can be extremely dangerous.
According to statistics shared by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, around 90 percent of bird strikes occur near airports due to flights being at a lower altitude during take-off, landing and flying at lower altitudes.
If a bird is to collide with an aircraft’s engine it can cause severe damage to the fan blades and leading engine failure, which appeared to be the situation with the Hainan Airlines flight.
Due to this, several airports will use wildlife deterrents in order to minimise the presence of birds near runways, while manufacturers will also test the safety of aircraft by firing frozen chickens at the engines and cabin during construction.
Has a bird strike ever caused an plane to crash?
The largest number of fatalities directly linked to a bird strike on an engine occurred on 4 October 1960, when Eastern Air Lines Flight 375 encountered a flock of birds after departing from Boston airport.
62 out of the 72 entire occupants onboard were killed, while nine of out the 10 survivors suffered serious injuries.
Bird strikes are extremely dangerous to aircraft, due to the possibility of engine failure occurring (Getty Stock Images)
Perhaps the most famous incident involving a bird strike was 2009’s US Airways Flight 1549, which managed to successfully land on the Hudson river after the aircraft suffered dual engine failure due to a bird strike.
The miraculous story would later be the story of 2016 biographical film Sully: Miracle on the Hudson.
LADbible Group has approached Rome Fiumicino Airport and Hainan Airlines for comment.
Featured Image Credit: (X/@JOOP99999)
Topics: World News, Travel
Brenna Cooper
.webp)
Woman with no annual leave goes straight to work after landing in UK from nine-hour flight
The Brit had no time off left to take so just went right from the airport to the office
A woman who had no more annual leave to take got the most out of her holiday after she decided to go right from her nine-hour flight home back into work.
At this point in the year you’re either wishing you still had a couple of days left of holiday, or you’re panicking because you’ve still got about two weeks worth of time to take off which you can’t use because everyone else is in the same boat.
In the former camp was video producer Erin Rivers, who was all out of annual leave to take but still hoping to make the most of her holiday in Mexico.
Not wanting to cut her holiday short to make space for the journey home, she instead decided that she was going to incorporate a transatlantic flight into her morning commute and show up in the office for her nine to five.
She’d figured out that since her flight was scheduled to get back into Manchester at 7.00am she’d have enough time to get through the airport and be at her desk, and although she ended up cutting it a bit fine since the plane was delayed, she turned out to be right.
According to Erin the worst part of the journey was right at the start ‘just knowing what was ahead of me’. (TikTok/@erinrivers_)
Speaking to her esteemed employer, which in this case is us, Erin explained that while it was a shame she didn’t have any more holidays to book off she was able to arrange it so she could ‘have a normal day at work’.
At least as normal as you can get when you started the day on another continent, she did say she ‘would never wish for a 10 hour commute’.
Erin told us that she ‘also wanted to beat jet lag’, and reckoned that staying up all day was the best way to tackle that.
The whole endeavour turned out to be ‘very successful’, though even after she’d completed her daily shift in the office a train back home to Leeds beckoned.
As for how she managed to stay awake and alert at work after a nine-hour flight home, Erin said she had ‘lots of tactics’ to keep herself going.
She always taps the plane for good luck when boarding. (TikTok/@erinrivers_)
Explaining her method, she said: “I did my make up on the train from the airport to the office to feel alive, brushed my teeth in the work toilet, bit of deodorant, my usual morning iced coffee, lots of water, fuelled on fruit and sugar, kept busy and up at work filming lots of videos and of course being very dedicated to my job that I love!”
We promise we didn’t make her say that last bit. Honest.
In her video chronicling her journey to work she did at one point have to convince herself she was tired and could go to sleep, as she told us she got about five hours kip on the plane from Mexico to Manchester.
There’s no rawdogging malarkey on this particular commute, could you imagine the hell involved in sitting for hours on a plane and then doing a full shift?
Powered by iced coffee, fruit and sugar, Erin got through her shift. (TikTok/@erinrivers_)
The plane was also delayed by an hour and 15 minutes, leaving her just 45 minutes to get out of Manchester Airport and into LADbible Towers, though she made it with time to spare.
Even if she doesn’t want to make a habit out of such a long commute, Erin did recommend going right from the holiday to the office.
She said: “You know what, if you’re like me and love long weekends away an extra day of annual leave could be an extra trip, I definitely recommend [it], don’t waste that day of leave to do nothing.
“You’ve just got to be prepared and ready for a long day, but if you’ve slept on the plane, have tactics in place, you’ll be fine, it honestly wasn’t even that bad!”
I’ll take your word for it Erin.
Featured Image Credit: TikTok / @erinrivers_
Joe Harker
Chunk of a Boeing 737 falls off mid-air during flight
The exterior panel of the Boeing 737 fell off mid-flight.
it seems that the Boeing 737 is causing more issues as the exterior panel of the aircraft fell off during a recent flight.
The United Airlines flight took off from San Francisco at 10.20am on Friday (15 march) on its way to Medford Airport in Medford.
The airport’s director Amber Judd said that the plane carrying 139 passengers and six crew members landed safely.
It was only during the post-flight inspection of the Boeing 737-800 when airport staff noticed that the external panel was missing.
AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
She claims that the team searched the runway and airfield for debris, but none was found.
A United Airlines spokesperson said there way no indication of damage during the flight.
“After the aircraft was parked at the gate, it was discovered to be missing an external panel,” the United Airlines spokesperson said.
“We’ll conduct a thorough examination of the plane and perform all the needed repairs before it returns to service.
“We’ll also conduct an investigation to better understand how this damage occurred.”
Quite a sight as United #433 lands at Medford Airport this afternoon after panel apparently lost in-flight from San Francisco. No injuries, all safe, per updates coming in from our reporters. Plane is a 25-year-old Boeing 737-824 More coming soon from @RogueValTimes newsroom.
The airline said the missing panel was on the underside of the aircraft where the wing meets the body and just next to the landing gear.
United has used the aircraft – which has come under criticism recently – since November 2011.
This comes after a string of incidents, including what happened on 5 January when a part of the Boeing 737 Max 9 was torn off mid-flight.
The 177 passengers and crew onboard the Alaska Airlines flight were forced to make an emergency landing after a part of its fuselage and a window were blown out shortly after take off.
The plane was heading to Ontario, California and had departed from Portland, Oregon, just after 5.00pm local time.
According to flight tracking data, the jet had climbed to more than 16,000ft (4,876m) when chaos erupted and oxygen masks were deployed as a gaping hole appeared in the side of the aircraft.
TikTok/@strawberr.vy
The Boeing 737 Max 9 made an emergency landing at Portland International Airport around 20 minutes after initially taking off – no injuries were reported.
The travel firm’s CEO, Ben Minicucci, issued a statement at the time saying: “My heart goes out to those who were on this flight – I am so sorry for what you experienced. I am so grateful for the response of our pilots and flight attendants.
“We are working with Boeing and regulators to understand what occurred tonight, and will share updates as more information is available. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating this event and we will fully support their investigation.”
