Over-tightened nut believed to have caused Jet2 flight evacuation
An over-tightened nut is believed to have caused an electrical fault which forced an emergency evacuation of a Jet2.com flight at East Midlands airport.
Passengers on the flight from Ibiza had to escape from the Boeing 737via the emergency chutes after the cabin was filled with a ‘strong acrid smell’.
One of the chutes became twisted so couldn’t be used during the incident last September, during which one passenger suffered a minor injury.
A report by the Air Accident Investigation Board said that the pilot issued a mayday alert due to smoke in the cabin as he was coming into land.
As he was also unable to tell whether the aircraft wheels had deployed, he had to fly low over the airport so that controllers on the ground could confirm the landing gear was down.
As the aircraft taxied to the parking stand, smoke appeared inside the aircraft, forcing an emergency evacuation.
The AAIB report said the problems stemmed from the loose connection, which was possibly caused by an over-tightened nut.
Jet2 has since included a procedure within its operating manual to make sure pilots are better-prepared for such incidents and to reduce the likelihood they will lead to emergency evacuations, added the report.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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