AIR CREW STRUGGLED WITH EXITS
Published on 02 August 2004
CABIN crew struggled to open emergency exits as passengers "pushed and shoved" to get out of a plane that had landed at Stansted Airport with an engine on fire, according to an official accident report.
Some passengers on Ryanair Boeing 737 were evacuated on to the side of the plane where the fire was being fought.
Six of the passengers who had climbed on to the right wing of the plane at Stansted in Essex were ordered back inside to seek alternative exits, the report from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said.
Eventually all 117 passengers on the Dublin to Stansted flight on February 27, 2002, were evacuated and the fire was extinguished. Four passengers received minor injuries.
The report said two cabin staff had had difficulty opening the heavy emergency doors, which had chutes attached, and some new personnel would not have had training in operating them.
The report added that had the word "fire" been used to the flight crew initially, instead of "smoke", they might have decided to bring the aircraft to a stop somewhere else.
The AAIB made safety recommendations, including asking the Irish Aviation Authority to review cabin crew training.
A statement by Ryanair said no recommendations were being made to the airline, the report said the evacuation was "timely" and all concerned "were erring on the side of safety".
copyright© 2004
AIR CREW STRUGGLED WITH EXITS
Moderators: sky's the limit, sepia, Sulako, North Shore
Here's another article on this incident...
'Crew Battled to Open Exits on Blaze Jet'
By Peter Woodman, Air Correspondent, PA News
Cabin crew struggled to open emergency exits as passengers “pushed and shoved” to get out of a plane that had landed with an engine on fire, according to an official accident report.
Some passengers on the the Boeing 737 operated by low-cost carrier Ryanair were evacuated on to the side of the plane where the fire was being fought.
Six of the passengers who had climbed on to the right wing of the plane at Stansted airport in Essex were ordered back into the aircraft to seek alternative exits, the report from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said.
Eventually all 117 passengers on the Dublin to Stansted flight on February 27, 2002, were evacuated and the fire in the right engine extinguished. Four passengers received minor injuries in the evacuation.
The report said that two cabin crew members had had difficulty opening emergency doors and that some new entrant cabin crew personnel would not have had training in operating these heavy doors which had evacuation chutes attached.
There was some “ambiguity” about whether the training requirements included the need to operate exits in all modes of operation, said the report.
The AAIB also added that after the landing the cockpit crew had put the plane into a crosswind position with the right engine on the upwind side.
A crosswind had worsened the situation on an on-fire British Airways’ Boeing 737 at Manchester airport in 1985 when 55 people died.
Of the Ryanair incident, the AAIB said: “Had the right engine developed an uncontained fire, the relative wind would have exacerbated the situation and adversely affected the survivability of such an event.”
The report added that had the word “fire” been communicated to the flight crew initially, instead of “smoke”, then it “may have triggered them into giving greater consideration as to where to bring the aircraft to a stop”.
A Ryanair pilot who was among the passengers had noticed “some pushing and shoving in the cabin” during the evacuation but had generally felt that the procedure had run smoothly, the report said.
The AAIB made a number of safety recommendations including asking the Irish Aviation Authority to review cabin crew training.
Scotsman.com
AAIB Bulleting 7/2004 - Boeing 737-8AS, EI-CSA
27 February 2002 at 1718 hrs
London Stansted Airport
'Crew Battled to Open Exits on Blaze Jet'
By Peter Woodman, Air Correspondent, PA News
Cabin crew struggled to open emergency exits as passengers “pushed and shoved” to get out of a plane that had landed with an engine on fire, according to an official accident report.
Some passengers on the the Boeing 737 operated by low-cost carrier Ryanair were evacuated on to the side of the plane where the fire was being fought.
Six of the passengers who had climbed on to the right wing of the plane at Stansted airport in Essex were ordered back into the aircraft to seek alternative exits, the report from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said.
Eventually all 117 passengers on the Dublin to Stansted flight on February 27, 2002, were evacuated and the fire in the right engine extinguished. Four passengers received minor injuries in the evacuation.
The report said that two cabin crew members had had difficulty opening emergency doors and that some new entrant cabin crew personnel would not have had training in operating these heavy doors which had evacuation chutes attached.
There was some “ambiguity” about whether the training requirements included the need to operate exits in all modes of operation, said the report.
The AAIB also added that after the landing the cockpit crew had put the plane into a crosswind position with the right engine on the upwind side.
A crosswind had worsened the situation on an on-fire British Airways’ Boeing 737 at Manchester airport in 1985 when 55 people died.
Of the Ryanair incident, the AAIB said: “Had the right engine developed an uncontained fire, the relative wind would have exacerbated the situation and adversely affected the survivability of such an event.”
The report added that had the word “fire” been communicated to the flight crew initially, instead of “smoke”, then it “may have triggered them into giving greater consideration as to where to bring the aircraft to a stop”.
A Ryanair pilot who was among the passengers had noticed “some pushing and shoving in the cabin” during the evacuation but had generally felt that the procedure had run smoothly, the report said.
The AAIB made a number of safety recommendations including asking the Irish Aviation Authority to review cabin crew training.
Scotsman.com
AAIB Bulleting 7/2004 - Boeing 737-8AS, EI-CSA
27 February 2002 at 1718 hrs
London Stansted Airport
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Flying Low
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As Flying Low hinted at, these passengers self-evacuated onto the wing of the aircraft above the engine that was on fire. At that point, it seems they were instructed to re-enter the aircraft by the ARFF as their presence above the fire "...hindered the firefighting operation."yycflyguy wrote:Some of the pax were ordered back into a plane that had a fire???? Does anyone else think that is strange?
While obstructions may not have appeared through the R1 and R2 door windows at the time the evacuation was ordered, the proximity of the RFFS crews attacking the right engine created a conflict. In the operator's procedures for a 'No Time Available Evacuation on Land', as in this case, no extra brief is given to the passengers adjacent to the overwing exits, beyond that provided after boarding. The overwing exits were opened and the six passengers who climbed onto the right wing were instructed to re-enter the aircraft and seek an alternative exit, to clear them away from the area of the right engine. It is understandable that the passengers did operate these exits since they could not be expected to be as aware of the safety issues, nor to exercise the same discretion as trained cabin crew.
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Panama Jack
- Rank 11
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- Joined: Fri Feb 20, 2004 8:10 am
- Location: Back here
Will that be Ryan Air's new industry nickname? "Blaze Jet?"CD wrote:'Crew Battled to Open Exits on Blaze Jet'
After ValuJet's accident in the Everglades people started referring to the airline as "Crispy Critter" ("Critter" was the airline's call sign).
“If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. If it stops moving, subsidize it.”
-President Ronald Reagan
-President Ronald Reagan
Panama Jack
According to the chatter on the internet Ryanair is having its problems and it’s bound to get worse until they settle their management labor dispute.
It seems that we never learn from our past lessons in aviation. We used to advise the cabin if one side of the aircraft was less then desirable as an evacuation exit until some lawyer thought that it was not the political correct legal thing to do. Taking into consideration the direction of the wind was taught as situational awareness and was part of general airmanship. The crew shouldn’t have to wait for the tower to advise them of the wind.
Nowadays the general thinking is to use all the exits at the same time in order to comply with the 90(?) second rule. It’s probably not a bad idea as aircraft tend to light up rather quickly although most passengers tend to die from breathing toxic fumes. I’ve forgotten the percentage of exits that are considered u/s for the certification tests but in any case in real life there are going to be blocked exits due to body twisting.
I am rather surprised that Ryanair does not employ evacuation simulators for the training of its crews. The passenger gets what they pay for nowadays its all about money.
p.s. I understand the A380 evacuation certification is problematic because of the height of the upper deck and folks reluctance to use the slides from that height..
According to the chatter on the internet Ryanair is having its problems and it’s bound to get worse until they settle their management labor dispute.
It seems that we never learn from our past lessons in aviation. We used to advise the cabin if one side of the aircraft was less then desirable as an evacuation exit until some lawyer thought that it was not the political correct legal thing to do. Taking into consideration the direction of the wind was taught as situational awareness and was part of general airmanship. The crew shouldn’t have to wait for the tower to advise them of the wind.
Nowadays the general thinking is to use all the exits at the same time in order to comply with the 90(?) second rule. It’s probably not a bad idea as aircraft tend to light up rather quickly although most passengers tend to die from breathing toxic fumes. I’ve forgotten the percentage of exits that are considered u/s for the certification tests but in any case in real life there are going to be blocked exits due to body twisting.
I am rather surprised that Ryanair does not employ evacuation simulators for the training of its crews. The passenger gets what they pay for nowadays its all about money.
p.s. I understand the A380 evacuation certification is problematic because of the height of the upper deck and folks reluctance to use the slides from that height..
Here ya go...Rebel wrote:Nowadays the general thinking is to use all the exits at the same time in order to comply with the 90(?) second rule. It’s probably not a bad idea as aircraft tend to light up rather quickly although most passengers tend to die from breathing toxic fumes. I’ve forgotten the percentage of exits that are considered u/s for the certification tests but in any case in real life there are going to be blocked exits due to body twisting.
Not more than 50 percent of the emergency exits in the sides of the fuselage of an aeroplane that meets all of the requirements applicable to the required emergency exits for that aeroplane may be used for the demonstration. Exits that are not to be used in the demonstration must have the exit handle deactivated or fuselage of an aeroplane that meets all of the requirements applicable to the required emergency exits for that aeroplane may be used for the demonstration. Exits that are not to be used in the demonstration must have the exit handle deactivated or must be indicated by red lights, red tape, or other acceptable means placed outside the exits to indicate fire or other reason why they are unusable. The exits to be used must be representative of all the emergency exits on the aeroplane and must be designated by the applicant, subject to approval by the Minister. At least one floor level exit must be used.
525.803 Emergency Evacuation
Appendix J - Emergency Evacuation Test Criteria
FAA AC 25.803-1 - Emergency Evacuation Demonstrations
When I pull in my driveway, my girlfriend usually is waiting for me at the door wearing something sexy...I can tell you that evacuating my car becomes a struggle. I scream, bang on the steering wheel while pulling forward with all my might...I often forget about the seat belt... 
What a life...
What a life...
In the business world, the rearview mirror is always clearer than the windshield...W. Buffett-
Panama Jack
- Rank 11
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- Joined: Fri Feb 20, 2004 8:10 am
- Location: Back here
It's a rather sad statement, but Ryanair and Easyjet are the two most visible of the EU LCC's. They are also two companies that seem to do such a hatchett job that it gives other ones (who do it right) a bad name. I'm comparing these two to companies like Westjet, Southwest and Jetblue.Rebel wrote:According to the chatter on the internet Ryanair is having its problems and it’s bound to get worse until they settle their management labor dispute. . . .
. . . I am rather surprised that Ryanair does not employ evacuation simulators for the training of its crews. The passenger gets what they pay for nowadays its all about money. . .
Have you heard some of the things that Ryanair is planning???
“If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. If it stops moving, subsidize it.”
-President Ronald Reagan
-President Ronald Reagan
Care to share some more info on that...I'm curious to learn what's really going on...Let me explain. A few months ago, a TLM Meeting was held between my company and RAir and some steering actions where decided. Obviously pleasing us very much. Now if what you say is somewhat true...You get my point...Rebel wrote:Ryanair is going to keep pushing the envelope until someone gets hurt.
Thanks for the info.
In the business world, the rearview mirror is always clearer than the windshield...W. BuffettI just visited pprune.org... 
I feel as if I had just been with a prostitute...
No but seriously, this is pretty interesting...I'm dying to show you guys a slide I have but I know I would get raped and killed in my sleep if I did... sleepy
I feel as if I had just been with a prostitute...No but seriously, this is pretty interesting...I'm dying to show you guys a slide I have but I know I would get raped and killed in my sleep if I did... sleepy
In the business world, the rearview mirror is always clearer than the windshield...W. Buffett
Yoyoma
"RYANAIR has been forced to agree token compensation for a group of 140 check-in staff and aircraft dispatchers who were sacked in February
after the airline bought Buzz, a competitor owned by KLM. According to
the GMB Union it had reached an out of court settlement. Quoted in The
Guardian the union’s senior organiser, Ed Blissett, said "Ryanair's
unnecessary sackings paint an accurate picture of a callous and
malevolent employer who doesn't give a damn for anyone or anything
apart from making a profit." This chapter of the Ryanair epic has now
closed with the strong possibility that in fact it is not the Irish
airline that is providing the funds but KLM, who are believed to have
agreed an indemnity at the time of the takeover."
"RYANAIR has been forced to agree token compensation for a group of 140 check-in staff and aircraft dispatchers who were sacked in February
after the airline bought Buzz, a competitor owned by KLM. According to
the GMB Union it had reached an out of court settlement. Quoted in The
Guardian the union’s senior organiser, Ed Blissett, said "Ryanair's
unnecessary sackings paint an accurate picture of a callous and
malevolent employer who doesn't give a damn for anyone or anything
apart from making a profit." This chapter of the Ryanair epic has now
closed with the strong possibility that in fact it is not the Irish
airline that is providing the funds but KLM, who are believed to have
agreed an indemnity at the time of the takeover."
