Jet Airways Scare: Dodging the ‘Greek’ Tragedy
The Jet scare drew parallels to the crash Helios Airways Flight 522 in 2005. But how fatal was Jet Airways incident?
advertisement
More than 13 years ago, a Boeing 737 aircraft flying over Greece crashed in a hilly terrain and took the lives of 121 passengers flying in it. A year later, investigations revealed that omission in controlling cabin pressure was a prime reason for the crash.
On the morning of 20 September, the 166 passengers on board of the Jet Airways flight, might not have been aware of the incident that happened in Greece over a decade ago. But, they faced a similar situation as the cockpit crew "forgot" to control cabin pressure
During the course of the event, at least 30 passengers on the Jet airline's Mumbai-Jaipur flight suffered nasal and ear bleeding, as the Boeing 737-800 aircraft returned to Mumbai within minutes of take-off. Subsequently, the pilots were suspended and an investigation was carried out.
Following the incident, it was pointed out that a much fatal incident could’ve taken place. However, the pertinent question is that how fatal could this incident have been?
FLASHBACK
On 14 August 2005, a Helios Airways Flight 522 that was flying from Larnaca, Cyprus, to Athens, Greece, created panic in the Air Traffic Control (ATC) room, after the pilots of the Boeing 737 stopped responding to messages - sparking a possible threat of plane hijack, The Week reported.
According to the report, when the Greek military fighter jets attempted to intercept the non-responsive Helios aircraft, the pilots of the fighter aircraft noticed oxygen masks dangling inside the Boeing 737.
Before anything could be done, the Boeing 737 crashed near Athens and made headlines the following day due to the mysterious circumstances under which the flight had crashed.
An investigation revealed there was a gradual loss of air pressure inside the aircraft as the cabin accidentally set the ‘pressurisation switch’ to a manual setting, instead of the mandated auto setting.
The final stage of investigation revealed the two cabin crew members were seen inside the cockpit and were trying to save the aircraft. However, by then, the aircraft had run out of fuel and crashed.
WHAT IS THE BIG POINT?
The fate of the Helios aircraft is of course very different from what happened to Jet Airways on 20 September.
Following the crash of Helios aircraft, it was resolved that the pilots were at fault for not spotting the changed settings in the pressurisaton system during pre-flight checks. Helios stopped its operations in 2006 after series of investigations were carried against the airways by Greece and Cyprus.
But the big picture is that a loss of air pressure inside an aircraft can have an insidious impact. The onset of hypoxia affects brain functioning that prevents an individual from undertaking even simple tasks, such as the command of being told to put on an oxygen mask right in front of them.
Both the incidents highlight the dangers posed by overlooking routine procedures - eventually leading to a Greek tragedy.
(With inputs from PTI and The Week)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)