Plane Forced to Make Emergency Landing in England After Cabin Fails to Pressurize

A plane carrying 193 passengers had to make an emergency landing in England last year due to a pressurization issue caused by pilots overlooking key switches, according to a recent report.

During the incident involving Tui Airways, the cabin failed to pressurize because “bleed switches” were left off, putting passengers at risk of hypoxia, a dangerous condition caused by a lack of blood oxygen. The UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch investigated the incident that occurred on October 17, 2023.

The flight took off from Manchester Airport en route to the Greek island of Kos but had to turn back to Manchester before reaching its destination.

Despite no technical problems initially, the aircraft ascended for 43 minutes with a “CABIN ALTITUDE” warning flashing before the flight crew took action. The pilots claimed to have turned on the bleed switches around 73 seconds after noticing the warning, according to the report.

Unfortunately, the crew failed to follow proper protocols, including wearing oxygen masks. Both engine bleed air systems, responsible for regulating cabin pressure, were mistakenly left off before departure.

Upon realizing the error, the crew turned on the bleed switches and attempted to continue the flight. However, a “MASTER CAUTION” alert appeared, prompting them to return to Manchester.

The investigation revealed that maintenance personnel had inadvertently turned off the bleed switches before the flight. Additionally, the cabin crew missed opportunities to notice the switches were off.

It was noted that the pilot and co-pilot were assigned to the flight on short notice, with notification received at 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. respectively, and expected to report at 4:30 a.m. The officers were found to be fatigued and overworked leading up to the flight, although it was determined that fatigue did not directly contribute to the malfunction.