Remember that terrifying AirAsia flight to Bali last month that had passengers saying their goodbyes when the plane dropped down 20,000 feet, midair as the aircraft suddenly lost cabin pressure?
Passengers had said that the terrifying ride on QZ535, plus the crew’s “panicked” reaction to the mid-air emergency—including a flight attendant running down the aisle without explanation—had them fearing for their lives.
One couple even got engaged in the heat of the moment, faced with the prospect of sudden death.
Well an investigation has found that the Oct. 15 plane carrying 146 passengers and six crew from Perth was plummeting at a speed of 11 meters a second.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau released a preliminary report of its findings yesterday.
The pilots decided to make an emergency descent when at 30,000 feet warning lights went on, indicating the pressurization system safety valve was opening—kind of an issue since the system keeps the cabin’s altitude and oxygen levels in check.
Crew members tried to tackle the issue under manual control but failed.
“Shortly after, the cabin crew manager reported to the flight crew that the emergency oxygen masks in the cabin were not deployed and the flight crew then manually deployed them.
“The cabin crew reported that they secured the cabin and instructed the passengers in accordance with their emergency descent procedures,” the ATSB report said, as published by WA Today.
The plane eventually was able to make the emergency landing in Perth with no injuries, but plenty of people were rattled up.
However, the ATSB did not apparently mention the crew’s panicked performance.
“The panic was escalated because of the behavior of staff who were screaming, looked tearful and shocked,” Clare Askew, a passenger from QZ535, told reporters after landing back in Perth.
“Now, I get it, but we looked to them for reassurance and we didn’t get any, we were more worried because of how panicked they were.”
Maintenance testing after the terrifying flight found that the cabin pressure controller was faulty.
Reader Interactions