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From Times Online

August 26, 2008

Mid-flight scare as Ryanair jet makes emergency landing

Sophie Tedmanson

Arctic explorer Pen Hadow and his family were among scores of British holidaymakers who thought they were “going to die” when the Ryanair jet in which they were travelling was forced to make an emergency landing in France late last night.

Sixteen people were hospitalised and treated with ear problems after the plane, en route from England to Spain, was forced to land at Limoges International Airport in western France as a "safety precaution", following the loss of cabin pressure.

Mr Hadow, who became the first man to walk solo and unsupported from the northern coast of Canada to the North Pole in 2003, was on board the flight, from Bristol to Barcelona-Girona, along with his wife, Mary, and their son and daughter.

He said there was a loud sound as the cabin pressure dropped and there was a “sudden drop in temperature and a rush of cold air” as the plane plummeted.

“You think to yourself: God, is there a hole in the aircraft? It actually felt like somebody had opened a door in the back of the aircraft,” he said.

Mr Hadow, whose son was one of those taken to hospital, said a number of oxygen masks inside the plane had failed and many of the passengers appeared to be in shock.

"I would say some people thought we were going to die - that is how frightening it was. The woman sitting in the seats in front of us was whimpering," he said.

He added some people had cried with relief when the plane landed safely, while others had clapped.

A Ryanair spokeswoman said flight staff had followed the correct procedures.

"Ryanair confirms that the FR9336 from Bristol airport to Barcelona Girona airport on the evening of August 25 experienced an inflight depressurisation incident which caused the oxygen masks on board to deploy," she said.

"As a safety precaution the captain descended and diverted the aircraft to Limoges Airport at approximately 23.30 local French time.

"All 168 passengers disembarked safely upon landing. A total of 16 passengers together with five accompanying family members have transferred, at their request, to a local hospital complaining of ear ache."

The spokeswoman said a replacement aircraft would take passengers on to Spain this morning.

It is the second passenger scare in a week for the Dublin-based budget airline. On Friday, a live gun cartridge was reportedly found by a passenger on board a plane which was about to take off from Dublin airport. The plane was evacuated immediately.

It also comes amid troubled times for the aviation industry.

Last week a Spanair jet, which was packed with families bound for holidays on the Canary Islands, crashed during take-off, killing 154 people on board and badly injuring 18.

And Australia’s major airline Qantas, encountered problems when a Boeing 747 flying from London to Melbourne was forced to make an emergency landing in Manila last month after an oxygen cylinder exploded mid-air, ripping a massive hold in the jumbo jet’s fuselage. None of the 346 passengers or 19 crew were injured.

I feel that the safety of the crew and passengers are paramount. I would rather have a safe, non narrative landing. Than a fully extensive oratal overview, of my demise...wouldnt you? You dont see oxygen, and if the bags were inflated I would be worried... Its still safer than travelling on roads.

charlie, herts, uk

i do hope that these low cost air company work and act with an extremely responsible manner and that above all they consider the safety and the lives of so many people including childrens as priority!!!!!!!!

tino, enfield town, london

As a former cabin crew member for a non economy airline I can assure you all, that the in flight emergency training given by all airlines to crew, follows the civil aviation authority rules to the T, making the cost/stature of the airline irrelevant. I regularly use Ryanair & would recommend them!

Amanda, Bedfordshire, UK

whilst travelling with ryanair august 13th from manchester to girona airport my daughter complained of painful headaches i do believe cabin pressure problems stewardess very helpful in giving her ice i do wonder if it was same plane. Maybe these planes need checking out.

jenny, liverpool, uk

Peter, Cambridge, UK:-
That's easy to say from your chair. Maybe you might feel differently if you had been on that flight.

Kurt, Barcelona, Spain

If what is reported is true, that Ryanair weren't carrying enough oxygen for everyone to receive oxygen, and that their crew cared only about themselves and didn't look after the passengers and make sure they had access to oxygen, then that is just appalling. They should be grounded.

Debbie, Edinburgh,

Just so you all know. Some budget airlines do the absolute mimimum in maintainance in order to keep their aircraft flying. An aircraft sat on the ground is a very costly luxury. If it is not in the air carrying fare paying passengers then it is loosing money at a considerable rate. I mention no name

Mr. G.C., Yorkshire,

Presumably, being an Arctic explorer means that you are automatically an expert on airliners. Whilst undoubtedly terrifying, surely the sudden drop in temperature was simply due to the cabin air expanding? Three cheers for the professionalism of the Ryan Air flight crew!

Clive Worboys, Pamber Heath, England

Ah, kwitcher whinin' and count yerselves lucky you have air crew that knows what to do. And next time, if you don't know how things work...ASK!

Henry, Audlem, UK

Does anybody really think that the pilots and cabin crew would go to work regularly if they felt in danger ? I am flying with Ryanair soon and have every confidence in this airline, and cabin crew, as I am sure they value there lives as much as I do mine and my families.

Diane, Caldicot Mon, GB

I am cabin crew with another uk airline & in a decompression the oxygen masks are deployed automatically & the oxygen starts to flow but they do not 'fill up' with oxygen. The cabin crew aswell as the pilots are also on oxygen so it is difficult to make an announcement. Descending is the priority!

sian, leicester, uk

I listened to Mr Hadow's uninformed comments on Radio 4 this morning. The last thing I want to hear as a passenger on an aircraft in a decompression emergency is the flight crew talking on the address system. They will have their hands full hand-flying the aeroplane while wearing oxygen masks.

Clive Wilkinson, Witney, UK

the only way to stay competitive, the low cost companies, have to increase light collateral costs, cut useless expenses, reduce to minimum pilots and crews holydays and obviously, take a consistent remodelling to the maintenance costs of planes. the emergency landings will soon increase enormously.

edoardo chioni, Rome, ITALY

The second depressurisation incident in as many months and in both there were oxygen masks that failed to work properly?
How can passengers be expected to trust these airlines when it seems they do not even maintain potentially lifesaving equipment in working condition?

A. Mark, Birmingham,

I am not an aviation expert...but an American plane is involved in all these late incidents. Can anybody explain why? Or the percentage of accidents involving Boeings (or DMs) and Airbuses? The one in Kyrgyzstan was a "black-list" company plane, but the rest were well-known ones.

Alexis, London,

Stop this flying across the world for a suntan. Holiday at home. Airline profits be damned. The earth is being slowly put to death.

San Ying, Montreal, Canada

I do wish reporters would get their facts correct. The aircraft made a precautionary landing, not an emergency landing. There is a vast difference.

Geoffrey McNab, Belfast,

As a current Flight Attendant with 25 years service for a major UK airline can I try and answer a few concerns. 1.When emergency oxygen flows to the users mask, the bag attached is not designed to inflate and store oxygen as most people think and often doesn't inflate. It is working correctly.

John, Glasgow, UK

I think anybody who flies Ryan Air, as I have to frequently, would agree that the cabin crew are famously under morale and lacking in customer service. Therefore it comes as no surprise that during an emergency they disappear into the background, it is only lucky that it was not a major emergency.

Martin Shadbolt, Cambridge, UK

Its worrying to hear there appeared to be no oxygen in the masks - I presume the "oxygen" is another ´added-extra´ when flying with Ryanair?!
Its disconcerting to hear from Mr Hadow that the flight attendants did not keep passengers informed either.
Well done to the pilots.

Mark, Barcelona, Spain

Er...Peter,

Would that be the same pilots who tried to fly a 737 into the ground trying to circle to land in Ireland, or the one's who landed at the wrong airport...?

I'm not sure I would trust my life to pilots who can't even talk to each other in the same language in an emergency......

John, cambridge, uk

Peter from Cambridge, the amount of takeoffs and landings has nothing to do with the crew currency. These events are normally only ever practiced in the simulator and that happens with the same calendar frequency for most airlines.

You should never worry when you board a jet.

Pilot, Hamilton, New Zealand

Peter Cambridge

Good logic were it not for the fact that Ryanair has expanded so fast it has lots and lots of very junior and inexperienced pilot, not sure its related in this case but I would be careful with you assumptions.

Peter, Aldershot, UK

Because of the amount of flying they do - lots of takeoffs and landings - Ryanair pilots are right up-to-scratch on procedures.

I never worry when I board a Ryanair jet.

Well done Ryanair.

Peter, Cambridge, UK