Flight aborted mid-air after cabin pressure issue led to risk of oxygen loss – World News – News

An investigation heard that a flight from Manchester to Greece had to be aborted in mid-air due to a fault that resulted in the plane being unable to pressurize.

The TUI Airways plane with 193 people on board was en route to Kos, Greece, in October 2023 before the pilot was forced to return to Manchester as the plane flew over Lincolnshire in eastern England.

A report from the Air Accident Investigation Branch found that engineers failed to turn on the switches that regulate air pressure in the aircraft after air conditioning maintenance was completed.

The error was not recognized by either the crew or the pilots before takeoff.

According to the report, passengers on board were likely “at progressive risk of hypoxia.”

Hypoxia occurs when the body or part of it does not have enough oxygen. This can happen on an airplane if cabin pressure is lost.

No injuries were reported.

One of the engineers told investigators he believed the switches had been “returned to their original position” after checks on the plane’s air conditioning system.

“The after-takeoff checklist was intended to detect the latter omission, but the incorrect switch selection went undetected by the crew,” the report said.

Realizing the error, the pilots turned the switches back on, but the crew responded by failing to follow required protocols, including wearing oxygen masks, the report said.

Three days after the incident, the same plane veered off the runway at Leeds Bradford Airport during a storm.

A report stated that a “catastrophic failure” of a nose wheel bearing caused the plane to veer off the runway.