Hand baggage ‘a threat to lives’

Air accident investigators have expressed concern at how passengers are putting their lives at risk by insisting on taking hand baggage with them during emergency evacuations from aircraft.

It follows publication of an official report into an incident when smoke filled the cockpit and cabin of a Ryanair aircraft on landing at Kerry Airport on Dec 21, 2010.

The Boeing 737 aircraft was on a flight from Stansted with 170 passengers and seven crew on board.

The acrid smoke became so dense on the flight deck that the pilots put on their oxygen masks. One officer reported that the smoke had affected the back of his throat.

At the same time the cabin supervisor notified the captain that there was also smoke in the cabin.

He also informed the flight crew that a similar incident had occurred on another Ryanair flight to Girona three weeks earlier.

The captain immediately issued an order to evacuate the aircraft after it was reported that there was limited visibility in the cabin because of the smoke.

Ryanair crew complained that it was very difficult to deal with passengers who insisted on taking their carry-on luggage with them, despite being told not to bring anything.

However, they admitted that it was not possible to remove hand baggage from individuals during the evacuation as it would have caused further delay.

Officials from the Department of Transport’s Air Accident Investigation Unit praised the decision of the captain to shut the engines down and order the evacuation.

AAIU inspectors claimed passengers who took their baggage with them had impeded the emergency evacuation which could have proven critical in the event of a fire.

They also pointed out emergency chutes on aircraft were not designed to accommodate hand baggage, while also posing a risk to individuals.