Jet Airways faces police complaints, law suits after ''bleed switch'' goof-up

Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, September 22

Passengers who suffered internal injuries, including damaged hearing, after cabin pressure dropped suddenly on a Jet Airways flight from Mumbai to Jaipur on Thursday are filing police complaints and planning law suits against the airline.

According to the Sahar police station, under whose jurisdiction Mumbai airport falls, a police complaint was filed against the Jet Airways by a social activist Asad Ashraf Patel. Patel, who runs an NGO and publishes a newspaper, accused the airline of poor crisis management and not deploying pilots with adequate training for operating aircraft.

Patel told reporters that he has filed an FIR against the airline accusing it of attempting to murder 166 passengers on board.

Two passengers who are still undergoing treatment after suffering partial hearing loss are also considering filing police complaints against Jet Airways.

Jeweller Ankur Kala who is undergoing treatment at Mumbai's Nanavati Hospital is still to undergo various tests as he continued to suffer from headache and discomfort in his ears. According to his relatives, they would shortly be filing a police complaint against the airline.

According to doctors at the Nanavati Hospital, the condition of the patients has been identified as Barotrauma and recovery would take about a week. However, they have been advised not to take a flight during this period.

The office of the Director General of Civil Aviation said on Thursday that the cabin pressure in the Boeing 737 aircraft dropped suddenly as the cockpit crew had forgotten to deploy the "bleed switch" which controls cabin pressure. As a result within minutes after take off cabin pressure dropped and overhead oxygen masks dropped.

Meanwhile, the National Aviators' Guild (NAG) which represents Jet Airways pilots, has objected to the DGCA blaming the pilots for Thursday's incident.

"We have had a preliminary look into the incident involving two of our members with regard to the improper handling of pressurisation on the Mumbai-Jaipur flight. The matter is under investigation by DGCA and hence it would prudent to await the results of the probe," NAG said in a statement.