A TUI Boeing 737 carrying 187 passengers faced a ‘serious incident’ shortly after takeoff from Manchester, when two vital pressurisation systems were mistakenly left off, exposing passengers and crew to the risk of hypoxia. The plane ultimately landed safely after burning fuel, but a report highlighted procedural errors, fatigue concerns and cognitive risks during the altitude crisis.
A plane was caught in a “serious incident” above Manchester Airport, leaving 187 passengers and six crew members at risk of developing a deadly conditions.
The TUI plane, a Boeing 737-8K5, was en route to Kos Airport in Greece after taking off from Manchester at 6.06am on October 17, 2023. Minutes into the flight, a cabin altitude warning alerted staff to a “serious incident” aboard, a report from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch states, as crews were made aware that two vital systems were turned off.
The report said: “Both engine bleed air systems had been inadvertently left off for the departure, so the aircraft failed to pressurise.” Crews reactivated the systems after they were turned off by engineers performing routine maintenance and not turned back on, believing the problem was solved, but they quickly ran into another issue.
The Grimsby Telegraph reports that, as pilots continued the climb, the master caution lit up, indicating a fault in the aircraft’s right air conditioning pack. After consulting the operator’s maintenance control, the commander concluded that the plane should return to Manchester Airport. But the plane was too heavy, and they were forced to enter a holding pattern and burn fuel before they could land.