British Airways passengers faint Newark-London flight - JetPhotos.Net Forums

AVION1 · 10-31-2009, 04:41 PM

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LONDON — Six people fainted on board a British Airways flight from Newark Liberty Airport to London's Heathrow Saturday, prompting emergency crews to check the plane for hazardous materials.

Police said nothing suspicious was found on board after the jet was searched by emergency teams in protective gear.

Ambulance personnel said the six people were treated on board the plane and allowed to continue travel. No one required hospitalization, they said.

The plane landed at Heathrow's Terminal Five shortly after 6 a.m. and was boarded by emergency teams, including fire brigades, that had been notified about the unusual onboard illnesses.

British Airways officials said the medical teams were called as a precaution. Officials said the cause of the fainting has not been determined.

The Boeing 777 aircraft carried 216 passengers and 14 crew.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...RyNLQD9BM3BQG0

Evan · 10-31-2009, 04:55 PM

If they were in coach, it was probably starvation.

HB-IHC · 10-31-2009, 04:58 PM

Or maybe they were on time?

AVION1 · 10-31-2009, 05:12 PM

A bad pressurization valve can do this...the cockpit has a pressure of 15,000 ft instead of 8,000 ft...I have seen pressurization valves stuck open with nicotine and tar (yeah, another reason to ban smoking inside the aircraft)

Highkeas · 10-31-2009, 11:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AVION1

A bad pressurization valve can do this...the cockpit has a pressure of 15,000 ft instead of 8,000 ft...I have seen pressurization valves stuck open with nicotine and tar (yeah, another reason to ban smoking inside the aircraft)

Not on any commercial aircraft I'm familiar with. A differential pressure would require a major structural bulkhead at added weight and cost. Plus at 15,000-ft pilot cognition can be impaired (unless oxygen is used).

AVION1 · 11-01-2009, 12:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Highkeas

Not on any commercial aircraft I'm familiar with. A differential pressure would require a major structural bulkhead at added weight and cost. Plus at 15,000-ft pilot cognition can be impaired (unless oxygen is used).

The 10,000 ft oxygen level is just a "safe margin" but to tell you the truth I have been flying at 12,000 ft without oxygen, not problem..!..there are places on earth that are at higher elevations, for example 15,000 ft..and people live and work in there without any problem....I have been in Vail, Colorado skiing in there..doing a lot of stuff in there, and Vail is at 12,500 ft, most hotels have an oxygen tank in case someone needs it, but most people don't need it. You can fly a commercial airplane and as per the MEL, you are allowed to have some pressurization leak, I am not familiar with the British Airway's MELs..so I can not say anything. Anyway, I am pretty sure they had some pressurization issue and people with health problems got sick.

SYDCBRWOD · 11-01-2009, 03:55 AM

During WWI in the latter years pilots could get to and stay at 20,000 feet for considerable periods.

Gabriel · 11-01-2009, 05:45 AM

Avion, you must be kidding.

Some pressurization leak allowed per the MEL? And how is the pilot supposed to know that there is some pressurization leak?

Aircrafts leak. Period. That's Ok as long as the inflow of pressurized air compensates for the leak. Even more, because pressurized air is injected into the plane at all times to renew the air, the plane MUST leak to prevent overpressure. If the "natural" leak is not enough (and it never is unless there is something serius going on) the airplane will make and manage its own leak. Outflow valve it's called.

By absolutely no means the avove means that an airplane is allowed to operate above 8000ft of cabin altitude. If it has to, then it's an emergency. At 8500ft the cabin altitude warning goes off. At 10000ft the pilots are required to use masks. At 14000ft the cabin masks will drop automatically.

MCM · 11-01-2009, 05:58 AM

As Gabriel says, the thought of pressurisation problems leading to fly around at 15,000ft and sticky valves is rubbish in any modern aircraft. Automatic sensors drop the masks whether you like it or not, and crews wouldn't fly around above 10,000.

The simple thing is that even at 8,000ft (which the cabin rarely reaches anyway), passengers who are not fit and have been docile can faint if they stand up to quickly. Passengers fainting is not rare.

For 6 to faint it is unusual, however if the aircraft was up high with the cabin altitude approaching the 8,000ft, and one fainted, I'm not surprised if you got a case of "one out all out"... a bit like airsickness.

AVION1 · 11-01-2009, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gabriel

Avion, you must be kidding.

Some pressurization leak allowed per the MEL? And how is the pilot supposed to know that there is some pressurization leak?

Aircrafts leak. Period. That's Ok as long as the inflow of pressurized air compensates for the leak. Even more, because pressurized air is injected into the plane at all times to renew the air, the plane MUST leak to prevent overpressure. If the "natural" leak is not enough (and it never is unless there is something serius going on) the airplane will make and manage its own leak. Outflow valve it's called.

By absolutely no means the avove means that an airplane is allowed to operate above 8000ft of cabin altitude. If it has to, then it's an emergency. At 8500ft the cabin altitude warning goes off. At 10000ft the pilots are required to use masks. At 14000ft the cabin masks will drop automatically.

How do I know if the cockpit leaks?
Check the cockpit's pressure altimeter, it measures the cockpit's altitude, in some aircraft you also have a cockpit's vsi..it measures the rate of pressurization if you don't want to blow your ears!

MCM · 11-01-2009, 11:41 PM

Of course the aeroplane leaks... it is supposed to.

It has a large hole in it called the outflow valve.

The point that air flows out of the aircraft is not the point... the point is that the air flowing in does so at the appropriate rate to maintain pressurisation.

Yes, the cockpit has a pressure system guage, which on my aircraft includes a "pressure altimeter" (or cabin altitude) and VSI (cabin rate).
Both of these will tell me if I'm going to be above the required altitude.

The point is... these pilots WOULD NOT fly with it sitting at 15,000ft. Why? Because the oxygen masks would have automatically dropped and they would have very loud depressurisation warnings going off in the cockpit.

Pax fainting at even 5000ft cabin altitude is not in the least bit unusual. I've had 3 go within a couple of minutes... usually because they are elderly or unfit, and they've been sitting dosile for a longhaul flight and then try to get up a little quickly. They recover very rapidly.