Air Peace: Passenger recounts cabin pressure loss ordeal
- Plane undergoes scrutiny, declared unserviceable
Aircraft components servicing may come under scrutiny following the depressuration incident on-board Enugu-Lagos bound Air Peace aircraft, which elicited air rage by travelling passengers.
This is coming as one of the passengers recounted ordeal aboard the aircraft that lost cabin pressure.
A source in the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), who spoke to Woleshadarenews under condition of anonymity, said the aviation regulatory is ascertaining whether the alleged lack of deployment of oxygen was just a mechanical fault or pure negligence in component servicing.
Already, the airplane, A B737 has been declared “unserviceable” by the airline in line with its stance on safety. On December 14, the airline’s Lagos-Enugu flight had a depressurisation challenge, compel-ling the crew to declare it unserviceable upon safely landing at destination in line with strict safety standards.
An anonymous traveller- on-board the aircraft send a short message to our correspondent narrating her ordeal on-board the aircraft. Narrating her ordeal, she said oxygen masks were used during Air Peace flight, saying smoke filled the cabin. According to her, “We realised that the aircraft had issues after we saw some guys working on the plane’s engines for over 35 minutes as we sat inside the aircraft.
“Fifteen minutes after the plane was in the air, oxygen masks were pulled down for the flight passengers as smoke filled the aircraft. “It is the most memorable day of my life.
The flight was a 7a.m. flight. We boarded, but did not fly. After about 35 minutes, I realised that the aircraft had issues. After series of argument between crew and passengers, they told us to disembark from the aircraft. After series of quarrel, they put us on another aircraft.
“The aircraft was not cooling. Someone like me spoke up and asked other passengers and crew members why the air conditioner was not cooling, but crew members told me it would start cooling when we take off. Immediately, I knew that the system was not good and we took off that way. Fifteen minutes into the flight, the plane was not moving well. So, I decided to close my eyes and distract myself with music.
“The next thing we heard was loud shouts of use your oxygen mask, use your oxygen mask, which had dropped. Most of the masks were without oxygen, not working. Next phase was the fainting phase as some people lost consciousness. Medical personnel were called in to help revive some people. It was scary while it lasted,” she added.
Spokesman for Air Peace, Mr. Chris Iwara, said: “Although depressurisation is a common occurrence in aviation, we sincerely regret that the incident led to the disruption of our Enugu-Lagos service and other flights the aircraft was scheduled to operate.
“We are indeed sorry for the resultant inconvenience caused our esteemed customers. “We have, however, made alternative arrangements to ensure the operation of the Enugu-Lagos and other services the aircraft was scheduled to do, while our team of engineers conduct proper checks on the aircraft, which has since been ferried to our base.”
Speaking on the matter, a former Assistant Secretary General of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Mohammed Tukur, said depressurisation is a serious safety matter in aviation, adding the agency responsible for air safety should ascertain whether it was a mechanical issue or just negligence.
Tukur stated that lack of deployment of the equipment on-board could lead to suffocation and eventual death of passengers when there is seizure of air in the cabin.
Loss of cabin pressure, or depressurisation, is normally classified as explosive, rapid, or gradual based on the time interval over which cabin pressure is lost. A compromise between structural design and physiological need is achieved on most aircraft by maintaining a maximum cabin altitude of 8,000 ft.
Depending on the altitude of the aircraft when depressurisation takes place, loss of pressurisation can very quickly lead to the incapacitation of the crew and passengers unless they receive supplementary oxygen. Experts said aircraft depressurisation events are rare, but they can occur with little or no warning.
The faster you put your oxygen mask on, the better the chance that you will stay safe and remain capable of helping others. Modern aircraft are designed to fly at high altitudes.
For example, a Boeing 747 aircraft normally cruises at an altitude of 28,000 – 35,000 ft. This is because aircraft consume less fuel and fly in relatively smooth air, avoiding bad weather and turbulence. However, the human body is not designed to survive at such high altitudes so the air pressure inside the cabin must be controlled.
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