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Qantas blamed as passengers took to emergency slides with bags

written by Adam Thorn | June 21, 2022

A photo taken at the time of the incident (Twitter @eveilhomer)

An ATSB investigation has criticised Qantas’s safety video after passengers escaping a smoke-filled cabin took to the emergency slides while carrying their hand luggage.

It came following a safety incident in 2019 that saw a “haze” form in the cabin after an A330 returned back to Sydney due to a hydraulic leak.

The report also suggested cabin crew, who had detected an “unusual smell” upon landing, failed to pass that information on to the flight crew.

Qantas said in response it now provides additional training for pilots and cabin crew in responding to similar situations, and also updated its safety video.

“The ATSB found limitations and inconsistencies in how Qantas’s safety video and briefing card described emergency slide use and what to do with cabin baggage in an emergency,” said ATSB chief commissioner Angus Mitchell.

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“For example, the pre-flight video showed a passenger sitting down and placing their bag next to them, just prior to sliding.

“The management of passengers in an emergency situation is the last line of defence to avoid injuries and fatalities, so it is important passengers are well informed through the provision of sufficient and accurate communication about what they may be required to do.”

The ATSB said that on the morning of 15 December 2019, the Perth-bound Airbus A330-200 carrying 2 flight crew, 8 cabin crew and 222 passengers returned to Sydney shortly after take-off due to a hydraulic leak.

As the aircraft arrived back at the terminal under tow, a haze began to form in the cabin and flight deck, and passengers and crew experienced physical symptoms including irritation to the eyes and throat.

The captain confirmed with the first officer and the cabin service manager the need to evacuate, and commanded the evacuation.

During the evacuation, 129 of the passengers disembarked via aerobridges, while the remaining 93 used one of the three deployed escape slides.

“A number of passengers used the escape slides in a manner that increased the risk of injury, and unfortunately six passengers were injured,” said Mitchell.

One passenger who used an escape slide sustained serious injuries including tendon ruptures in both knees, while others sustained minor injuries including knee sprains, friction burns, and elbow cuts and abrasions.

Additionally, CCTV and other video showed at least 40 passengers exiting via aerobridges with carry-on luggage and some of these retrieved their baggage after the evacuation command, which likely slowed the evacuation process.

“Some passengers also brought cabin baggage to the top of the emergency slides, and while some complied with cabin crew and left them behind, others were shown on CCTV with their luggage in-hand, after using a slide,” Mr Mitchell continued

“Passengers should always leave their belongings behind during an evacuation.”

The ATSB found primary commands practiced by Qantas cabin crew to instruct passengers in an evacuation did not include phrases such as ‘leave everything behind’ and ‘jump and slide’.

Since the incident, Qantas has amended its passenger safety briefing video, and is looking to incorporate ‘leave everything behind’ into its primary evacuation commands.

The ATSB also said the timing of the evacuation — as the aircraft arrived at the terminal and cabin crew had disarmed doors — presented a complex challenge, and the investigation found two cabin crew members did not rearm their doors prior to opening them during the evacuation.

“Crew members must remain prepared to react to an emergency at any time, until everyone has disembarked the aircraft,” Mitchell said.

Qantas has subsequently introduced periodic training that requires cabin crew members to physically demonstrate the procedures for an evacuation at a terminal.

The hydraulic failure, which triggered the return to Sydney, occurred when a rudder servo hydraulic hose ruptured in flight.

After landing and stopping on a taxiway to await engineers and a tow, the flight crew started the aircraft’s auxiliary power unit (APU), and the APU bleed air was turned on to maintain air conditioning and power in the cabin.

Leaking hydraulic fluid was subsequently ingested into the APU air intake, and the atomised hydraulic fluid was then distributed into the cabin and flight deck via the air conditioning system as the aircraft was towed back to the terminal.

Some cabin crew members had detected unusual smells both before and after the aircraft had been towed back to the terminal, but did not pass this information on to the flight crew at the time.

The ATSB may have prompted the flight crew to turn the APU bleed air off, as part of the smoke and fumes procedure.

“Communication between the cabin crew and flight crew is essential in abnormal situations, and it is important for information to be relayed as soon as it becomes available,” Mitchell said.

Finally, the ATSB report noted Qantas did not have a procedure for ‘rapid disembarkation’, which would enable faster than usual deplaning at a slower and more controlled pace than an emergency evacuation.

“Accidents around the world continue to show there is a significant risk of injury to passengers when escape slides are used,” Mitchell said.

“This risk is acceptable in a life-threatening situation where the alternative may be catastrophic, but in cases such as a fumes event — particularly if the aerobridge is already attached — a rapid disembarkation procedure may be preferable.”

Qantas said in May 2022 it was undertaking a review of its current non-routine disembarkation procedure, and looking to incorporate a relevant procedural framework.

“In this case, given the information available and the physical symptoms being experienced by crew and passengers, the captain’s decision to evacuate was a sound one,” Mitchell concluded.

In a statement to Australian Aviation, Qantas said, “The captain made the right decision to evacuate the aircraft and our crew worked hard to get passengers off the aircraft as quickly and as safely as possible. We know this would have been a very unsettling experience for our customers, and we thank them for responding when they were asked to evacuate.

“Since this incident occurred back in 2019, we have provided additional training for pilots and cabin crew in responding to situations like this.

“While we already reminded customers to leave cabin baggage behind in cabin crew safety briefings and on safety cards, we also updated our safety video in February 2020 which reinforced this point.

“This incident is an important reminder for all air travellers to make sure they’re watching safety videos and demonstrations and reading the safety cards, even if they fly with us regularly.

“Evacuations are extremely rare, but it’s important customers know what to do if they are instructed to evacuate the aircraft.”

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Comments (2)

  • L Kemp

    says:

    Another Qantas issue! Smoke in cabin resulting in many passengers evacuating the plane by emergency slides! With some sustaining injuries.
    Why am I reading so much on Qantas incidents??

  • Clive Dillen

    says:

    My family (pictured) & I were on this flight. Whilst I am confident the findings are true, in my opinion, the Captain, his officers & flight crew are to be commended for their calm & methodical instructions. They were brilliant and one couldn’t ask for more.
    Those passengers who took their cabin luggage were a disgrace. Their selfishness more than doubled the work of the flight crew, who were constantly instructing us to leave our luggage & exit in an orderly manner. Many didn’t do either & some were injured.
    I hope staff were commended for their professionalism.

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