Jet Airways flight: Traumatised passengers suffer ear, nose bleeds after cabin pressure problem 

Several passengers on a Jet Airways flight from Mumbai to Jaipur on Thursday, September 20 suffered nasal and ear bleeding due to cabin pressure problem, a senior official said. The Boeing 737 aircraft returned to Mumbai due to "loss of cabin pressure" and the pilots have been taken off duty pending investigation, a Jet Airways spokesperson said.

"Out of 166 passengers on board, 30 passengers are affected... some have nose bleeding, few have ear bleeding and some are complaining of headache," he added. There were 166 passengers and 5 crew members on board flight 9W 697.

"During climb, the crew forgot to select bleed switch due to which cabin pressurisation could not be maintained. As a result, oxygen masks got deployed," an official at aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation, said.

Airline sources said that the incident may have happened after the crew reportedly missed activating what is called a 'bleed switch' before take-off, leading to the disturbance in the cabin pressure with oxygen masks getting deployed.

"All guests were deplaned safely and taken to the terminal. First aid was administered to few guests who complained of ear pain, bleeding nose etc," it said airline sources

Footage from passengers showed people wearing their oxygen masks as the flight returned to Mumbai.

An official at Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) told PTI that going by the preliminary information, it could be a case of negligence on the part of the pilots since controlling cabin pressure control is part of check before operating a flight.

The official said the DGCA would look into the incident first and then a decision would be taken on whether the matter should be referred to the AAIB. Serious incidents and accidents are referred to the AAIB for further investigation.

The official said all the affected passengers are being attended to by doctors at the airport. According to the airline, the aircraft landed normally in Mumbai.

“It was the worst nightmare you can think of, I almost blacked out,” passenger Satish Nair said on Twitter.

With PTI inputs