Virgin Australia B737 near Melbourne and Sydney on Apr 17th 2012, fumes sicken two flight attendants
Last Update: October 29, 2012 / 11:30:59 GMT/Zulu time
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Apr 17, 2012
Classification
Report
Airline
Virgin Australia
Flight number
DJ-815
Departure
Melbourne, Australia
Destination
Sydney, Australia
Aircraft Registration
VH-VBL
Aircraft Type
Boeing 737-700
ICAO Type Designator
B737
The aircraft had already been involved in a similiar event, see Accident: Virgin Blue B737 near Gold Coast on Jun 5th 2009, fumes sicken 4 flight attendants. The aircraft has been removed from Virgin Australia's fleet in the meantime and is anticipated to resume service in Argentina.
The ATSB released their final report without conclusions, but a safety message:
The incident highlights the potential for crew incapacitation from exposure to fumes.
Clear and unambiguous communication between the flight and cabin crew should be maintained during any unusual event.
The ATSB mentioned that the captain never referred to the smoke, fire and fumes checklist as he considered the situation under control and the fumes dissipated. Part of the checklist required that cabin crew would not open the cockpit door but communicate with the flight deck only via intercom. If cabin crew were affected the captain would need to inform dispatch.
The purser reported that she felt the smell was slightly worse when she stood up and decribed the smell as similiar to dirty socks. She developed a blurry vision, dizziness and a dry throat. Her collegue at the front of the cabin felt nauseous and coughed throughout the flight. She advised the captain of the condition of the collegue in the back of the cabin but did not use the word "incapacitated" believing she had described the condition clearly enough.
The purser conducted a debrief with the cabin crew, the captain joined a short time later and advised he considered to file a hazard report.
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Apr 17, 2012
Classification
Report
Airline
Virgin Australia
Flight number
DJ-815
Departure
Melbourne, Australia
Destination
Sydney, Australia
Aircraft Registration
VH-VBL
Aircraft Type
Boeing 737-700
ICAO Type Designator
B737
This article is published under license from Avherald.com. © of text by Avherald.com.
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