Complaint filed against Jet Airways due to staff negligence
Several passengers onboard a Jaipur bound Jet Airways flight suffered ear and nose bleeding. This incident occurred due to the cabin crew’s negligence. A complaint was lodged against the staff for dereliction of duty amounting to attempt to murder of the travellers.
The horrific incident occurred on the flight 9W0697. It departed from Mumbai and was bound for Jaipur. The crew members forgot to turn on a switch that controls cabin air pressure.
Aviation regulator DGCA said that during the climbing stage of the flight, the crew forgot to select the ‘bleed switch’. Due to his, cabin pressure could not be maintained. As a result, oxygen masks got deployed.
Five of the passengers who suffered bleeding were diagnosed with “mild conductive deafness”, according to a hospital. They were taken to Dr Balabhai Nanavati Hospital. The rest were attended to doctors at the Mumbai airport after the flight was forced to turn back.
A preliminary examination ENT doctors revealed that the five passengers suffered ‘barotrauma’ of the ear. This was caused due to a change in air pressure.
A Jet Airways spokesperson said that the pilots of the Boeing 737 aircraft have been taken off duty pending investigation. He also added, “Of 166 passengers on board, 30 passengers are affected… some have nose bleeding, few have ear bleeding and some are complaining of headache.”
A video taken a passenger showed oxygen masks hanging from overhead compartments. The passengers were breathing through them.
The Civil Aviation Ministry said that it had already requested the DGCA to immediately file a report on the issue. The crew was also being derostered.
The accident that occurred in the particular Jet Airways flight was of a small magnitude. But what truly matters is not the result but the principle behind it. Such negligence could lead to a large scale accident as well.
