TUI B738 at East Midlands on Dec 16th 2024, flight attendant falls off aircraft

Last Update: September 25, 2025 / 19:46:39 GMT/Zulu time

Bookmark this article
Incident Facts

Date of incident
Dec 16, 2024

Classification
Report

Airline
TUI Airways

Flight number
BY-7719

Departure
East Midlands, United Kingdom

Destination
Arrecife, Spain

Aircraft Registration
G-TAWB

Aircraft Type
Boeing 737-800

ICAO Type Designator
B738

A TUI Airways Boeing 737-800, registration G-TAWB performing flight BY-7719 from East Midlands,EN (UK) to Arrecife,CI (Spain) with 125 passengers and 6 crew, was preparing for departure, the door was to be closed when the stairs were already moved away from the aircraft. The lead flight attendant while attempting to close the door could not stop herself falling into the gap between door and stairs, fell onto the tarmac and received serious injuries. The flight was cancelled.

On Sep 25th 2025 the AAIB released their final report concluding the probable cause of the accident was:

The SCCM fell from steps as they were pulled away before the aircraft door was closed and the steps vacated. She suffered serious injuries in the fall.

The step removal process was conducted in a way that was not consistent with the written policy and had insufficient safeguards to prevent movement of the steps with people on them or the door still open. This procedural workaround had been used by the staff at the ground handling company for many years at East Midlands and at many other airports in the UK.

The presence of a dispatcher at the bottom on the steps releasing the stabilisers triggered the steps to be moved without an effective check or confirmation that the door was closed and the steps were vacated. The presence of multiple dispatchers, without the ramp team knowing who the official dispatcher was, set the conditions for this event to occur. The step removal procedure required that the ramp staff check that there were no personnel on the steps before the stabilisers were retracted but the procedures did not specify how this was to be performed nor who was responsible for it.
Incident Facts

Date of incident
Dec 16, 2024

Classification
Report

Airline
TUI Airways

Flight number
BY-7719

Departure
East Midlands, United Kingdom

Destination
Arrecife, Spain

Aircraft Registration
G-TAWB

Aircraft Type
Boeing 737-800

ICAO Type Designator
B738

This article is published under license from Avherald.com. © of text by Avherald.com.
Article source

You can read 2 more free articles without a subscription.

Subscribe now and continue reading without any limits!

Subscribe now
Are you a subscriber? Login
Subscribe

Read unlimited articles and receive our daily update briefing. Gain better insights into what is happening in commercial aviation safety.

Compare our plans

Send tip

Support AeroInside by sending a small tip amount.

Send tip

Related articles

Newest articles

Subscribe today

Are you researching aviation incidents? Get access to AeroInside Insights, unlimited read access and receive the daily newsletter.

Pick your plan and subscribe

Partner

ELITE Logo

ELITE Simulation Solutions is a leading global provider of Flight Simulation Training Devices, IFR training software as well as flight controls and related services. Find out more.

SafetyScan Pro

SafetyScan Pro provides streamlined access to thousands of aviation accident reports. Tailored for your safety management efforts. Book your demo today

AeroInside Blog
Popular aircraft
Airbus A320
Boeing 737-800
Boeing 737-800 MAX
Popular airlines
American Airlines
United
Delta
Air Canada
Lufthansa
British Airways