TUI flight horror

187 passengers at risk over London after crew miss warning light

November 30, 2024
An IT glitch caused inaccurate weight calculations for a Tui flight after female passengers using the title ‘Miss’ were classified as children, an investigation has found (Peter Byrne/PA)

Due to a number of mistakes that put the 187 people on board in danger of fainting from a shortage of oxygen, the ATUI aircraft had to be canceled and returned to Manchester.

Although the near-disaster happened in October of last year, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch's (AAIB) conclusions have just recently been made public.

The problem started when engineers performed normal maintenance and left critical safety systems that pressurize the Boeing 737's cabin turned off. The plane was not pressurized since these systems were not restored prior to flight.

The AAIB report stated: "Both engine bleed air systems had been inadvertently left off for the departure, so the aircraft failed to pressurise."

Although the crew switched the systems back on during the flight’s ascent, a "master caution" warning was triggered due to a fault with the air conditioning pack. The pilot, working with air traffic control, decided to return to Manchester.

However, the aircraft was overweight, requiring it to remain in a holding pattern over London to burn fuel before landing.

During this period, the crew missed an oxygen mask warning light for 43 minutes, which the AAIB said exposed passengers and crew to "the risk of hypoxia"—a dangerous condition where oxygen levels in the body drop, potentially impairing cognitive functions and decision-making.

The report added: "In this altitude window, the hypoxic exposure can be sufficient to affect cognitive performance and decision-making."

Compounding the issue, the captain had only three hours of sleep after being on-call the night before. The AAIB suggested fatigue may have been a contributing factor, stating: "Fatigue, particularly chronic fatigue, can be insidious such that an individual may not recognise the symptoms in themselves."

Fortunately, the plane landed safely at 8:10am, and no medical issues were reported among passengers or crew.
The AAIB report stated: "Both engine bleed air systems had been inadvertently left off for the departure, so the aircraft failed to pressurise."

Although the crew switched the systems back on during the flight’s ascent, a "master caution" warning was triggered due to a fault with the air conditioning pack. The pilot, working with air traffic control, decided to return to Manchester.

However, the aircraft was overweight, requiring it to remain in a holding pattern over London to burn fuel before landing.

During this period, the crew missed an oxygen mask warning light for 43 minutes, which the AAIB said exposed passengers and crew to "the risk of hypoxia"—a dangerous condition where oxygen levels in the body drop, potentially impairing cognitive functions and decision-making.

The report added: "In this altitude window, the hypoxic exposure can be sufficient to affect cognitive performance and decision-making."

Compounding the issue, the captain had only three hours of sleep after being on-call the night before. The AAIB suggested fatigue may have been a contributing factor, stating: "Fatigue, particularly chronic fatigue, can be insidious such that an individual may not recognise the symptoms in themselves."

Fortunately, the plane landed safely at 8:10am, and no medical issues were reported among passengers or crew.