Serious incident- Cockpit air - Curt Lewis

 

British Airways pilots forced into emergency landing wearing oxygen masks after falling ill at the controls because 'debris was blocking airflow to flight deck'

 

• British Airways flight was en-route to Seattle, U.S. from London Heathrow
• But an hour into the journey three pilots in the cockpit fell ill at controls
• The cockpit door was opened for 20 minutes to increase air flow
• All three crew forced to deploy oxygen masks as plane landed in London
• Poor air flow had been reported on two earlier occasions on the plane

Pilots on a US-bound British Airways flight carrying 221 passengers fell ill at 10,000ft and were forced to make an emergency landing due to a block in the air conditioning that left them needing their oxygen masks. 

A report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch has highlighted worrying factors that led to the Seattle-bound plane turning back to London an hour into the journey.

The air vents into the cockpit were found to have been blocked by debris, consisting of wire, bubble wrap and insulation material. The three pilots began suffering headaches, nausea and light-headedness so they deployed their oxygen masks and declared an emergency.

The blackened and brittle appearance of the debris suggested it had 'been there for some time.'
Also, it was revealed the crew were forced to fly with the cockpit door open to improve air circulation. Since the terror attacks of 9/11 the cockpit door is required to be locked at all times.

There were 221 passengers on board the Boeing 777, with a total of 14 crew.
'As the flight reached initial cruise level, all three crew members on the flight deck started to feel unwell and opened the cockpit door to improve ventilation,' the report states. 

'The decision was made to return to Heathrow with all three crew members on oxygen and the cockpit door closed. 

'It was found that debris in the conditioned air duct below the cockpit floor was almost completely blocking airflow to the flight deck.'

British Airways BA49 dumping fuel before emergency landing

The pilot remained at the controls as the two co-pilots opened the cockpit door and went into the cabin to test the ventilation

On 27 March 2015, the European Air Safety Agency (EASA) has issued a recommendation for airlines to observe the 'four-eye-rule' in the cockpit; stipulating that in the case of the Captain or First Officer leaving the cockpit, a member of the crew should be present in the cockpit with the remaining pilot.

European safety regulations require that pilots remain at the aircraft controls unless absence is necessary for physiological or operational safety needs.

There is no European requirement that a member of the cabin crew must enter the cockpit when a pilot needs to take a short break for such needs. There is however a requirement that the cockpit door can be opened from the outside in case of emergency.

Since the terror attacks of 9/11, regulations came into place to re-inforce the cockpit door, and to ensure pilots kept it locked at all times through the flight.

The Germanwings disaster where co-pilot Andreas Lubitz deliberately crashed an Airbus A320 into a mountain in the Alps, killing all 150 people on board has seen many question as to how the rules on the cockpit door should be out into practice. 

Lubitz had locked the pilot out and seized sole control of the plane. 

The lack of ventilation was noticed on take-off, but as things didn't improve, the pilots began to feel unwell.

The symptoms included headache, nausea, light-headedness, a constant urge to take deep breaths and difficulty maintaining concentration.

The two co-pilots went out into the cabin where the temperature and air flow was normal. The decision was then taken to open the cockpit door to allow a flow of air.

As well as the belief that this would improve their health, there were concerns that a consistent air flow was required to ensure the controls didn't heat up and malfunction. 

 
The report adds: 'The forward toilet was withdrawn from passenger use and the curtains drawn to prevent the passengers from seeing that the cockpit door was open.' 

The decision to turn back to London was taken when the plane was just north of Glasgow. For the descent and landing, all three pilots donned their oxygen masks and their conditions improved.
The plane then dumped fuel over the Irish sea.

'The pilot believes the flight deck door had been open for a maximum of 15 to 20 minutes,' states the report.'

Worryingly, poor air flow into the cockpit had been reported on the same plane back on February 18 this year.

Despite the ducts been cleaned, the problem was again reported on February 28, with crew reporting that 'all puncalouvres valve in F/D have minimal airflow.'

A spokesperson for British Airways told MailOnline Travel: 'The safety of our customers and crew is always our priority and actions have been taken to help prevent this situation from recurring.
'Our highly trained pilots took the decision to put on oxygen masks and return the aircraft to Heathrow after they noticed a fault, where the plane landed normally. 

'Our cabin crew looked after customers and we arranged an alternative aircraft so that they could continue their journey.'