‘Some people thought we were going to die’
Arctic explorer Pen Hadow, one of 168 on board the flight, said passengers cried with relief as the plane landed safely at Limoges Airport in France, to where it had been diverted.
“I would say some people thought we were going to die,” said Mr Hadow, who was aboard the flight from Bristol to Girona in Spain with his wife, Mary, son Wilf, 9, and daughter Freya, 6.
Wilf was one of 16 people taken to hospital suffering from ear problems after the aircraft lost height, and oxygen masks dropped down.
Mr Hadow described hearing a “loud and unnerving sound” as the cabin pressure dropped.
“I knew it wasn’t an engine problem. There was a sudden drop in temperature and a rush of cold air. You think to yourself ‘God, is there a hole in the aircraft?’ It felt like someone had opened a door at the back of the aircraft. It was incredibly cold.
“The next thing the oxygen masks were dropping. My highest priority was to get a mask on to my son who was sitting next to me in a bemused and frightened state.
“We were descending for about five minutes from what I assume was 30,000 or 40,000ft to 8,000ft. As we landed we saw fire engines every quarter of a mile down the runway.
“It was obvious to me that there was depressurisation in the cabin, but there was no announcement and no evidence of the cabin crew for most of this experience. Why on earth didn’t they give a few more calming words to the passengers?”
Mr Hadow said a number of oxygen masks inside the cabin had failed to inflate. “Mine wasn’t filling up with oxygen and neither was my son’s. He was hyperventilating. I looked at the lady on my left and hers hadn’t filled up either.
“From where I was sitting I could see about 20 masks and only a few of them were inflating. It was extremely variable as to who got oxygen in their masks, and the cabin crew didn’t seem to know what to do.”
About 100 passengers arrived at Girona on a replacement plane later in the day, but those who had to go to hospital were taken from Limoges by coach.
Mrs Hadow said: “The ‘walking wounded’ are now having to go on an eight-hour bus trip. If we’d wanted to travel by road to Spain we’d have taken the car. Wilf and Freya are fine now and are sleeping it off.”
