Airbus – flight attendant sucked out? | Aviation Accident

Airbus – flight attendant sucked out?

Question:

Is this just an urban myth? Can someone tell me what height would be needed (pressure wise) to have this effect at an aerodrome which is basically Sea Level? Would that need to be negative height (pressure)? Cheers, Block.

Response:

Is this just an urban myth? Can someone tell me what height would be needed (pressure wise) to have this effect at an aerodrome which is basically Sea Level? Would that need to be negative height (pressure)? Cheers, Block.

At this point it isn’t clear if he was blown out, or dragged out or a combination of both. Unfortunately, absolutely true. American Airlines A300 at Miami International Airport. There is even a preliminary NTSB report describing the accident. The NTSB reported that insulation blankets had blocked one outflow valve completely, and another partially. The aircraft had just spent 2 days in the ’shop’ for maintenance, although exactly what work was done isn’t clear. The insulating blankets were not those provided by Airbus as original equipment, and given the age of AA A300’s, it may take some time to determine who did what when… A thumbnail calculation suggests that an over pressure of 1-2 pounds would probably do it. Much more, and you will NEVER get the door open. A300’s don’t use plug door (on a Plug door, the door wouldn’t have opened period.) If you are standing at the door, 2 psi across the entire body is a force upwards of 500kg pushing you out the door. The more likely scenario is the purser was using both hands on the door handle to get it open. When the pins retracted, that left a force of about 3000kg on the door, so the door flies open, and drags the pursuer, holding on with both hands out the door…

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Pinched from rec.aviation.piloting. NTSB prelim. report is out: left front door of the aircraft "exploded open" NTSB Identification: MIA01FA029 Scheduled 14 CFR 121 operation of AMERICAN AIRLINES Accident occurred NOV-20-00 at MIAMI, FL Aircraft: Airbus A300B4-605R, registration: N14056 Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 Serious, 15 Minor, 113 Uninjured. This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

There is a preliminary report. Apparently both outflow valves were less than fully operational. The Aft Valve was completely covered by an insulating blanket, the forward partially covered. The blankets are not original equipment, so it isn’t clear who made them, or who installed them. I should point out that AA A300’s are not exactly brand new, so it may take a while to track down who did what when…

Response:

Pinched from rec.aviation.piloting. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – NTSB prelim. report is out: left front door of the aircraft "exploded open" NTSB Identification: MIA01FA029 Scheduled 14 CFR 121 operation of AMERICAN AIRLINES Accident occurred NOV-20-00 at MIAMI, FL Aircraft: Airbus A300B4-605R, registration: N14056 Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 Serious, 15 Minor, 113 Uninjured. This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. On November 20, 2000, about 1222 eastern standard time, an Airbus Industrie A300B4-605R, N14056, registered to Wilmington Trust Company, and operated by American Airlines, Inc., as flight 1291, a Title 14 CFR Part 121 scheduled international passenger flight, from Miami, Florida, to Port Au Prince, Haiti, had a flight attendant receive fatal injuries during an emergency evacuation after the flight returned to Miami. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. The aircraft received minor damage and the airline transport-rated pilot, first officer, 6 flight attendants, and 105 passengers were not injured. One flight attendant received fatal injuries, 1 passenger received serious injuries, and 15 passengers received minor injuries. The flight originated from Miami, Florida, the same day, about 1149. The captain stated that both automatic cabin pressurization controllers would not control cabin pressure while climbing through 16,000 feet, about 8 minutes after departure, and that the forward outflow valve went to the full open position. About 11 minutes after departure, he stated to air traffic controllers that he was unable to control the pressurization and that he would need to return to Miami. He stated that during the return to Miami, the flight attendant call chime continually chimed erratically and the forward lavatory smoke detector sounded. Twelve minutes before landing, the captain told air traffic controller that he would not need any assistance. About 3 minutes before landing the captain declared an emergency with air traffic controllers and requested that fire trucks be standing by for the landing. He stated that after landing, the ram air switch did not depressurize the aircraft on the ground and that 45 seconds after landing, the aircraft did not depressurize. He requested that the fire trucks check the aircraft for fire. About 2 minutes after landing, the fire commander reported no signs of fire and stated they would follow the aircraft to the gate. About 1 minute later, the captain reported he had a fire and that they would evacuate the aircraft. Fire department personnel stated that shortly after the captain reported they had a fire and would evacuate the aircraft, the left front door of the aircraft "exploded open" and a flight attendant was ejected out of the aircraft and landed on the tarmac. The other doors opened and the evacuation slides deployed. They assisted the flight attendant on the tarmac and also assisted the passengers as they evacuated the aircraft.