A cabin crew member is confirmed to have died following an emergency landing due to smoke entering the cockpit and cabin of a Swiss Airlines flight.
Flight LX 1885 had been operating on December 23 from Bucharest to Zurich when it made an emergency diversion to Graz after engine problems occurred and smoke developed in the cockpit and the cabin of the Airbus A220-300.
Two members of the cabin crew were admitted to hospital after the aircraft landed. The airline issued a further statement to confirm that one of them had died on December 30th.
The cause of the incident, known as a ‘fume event’ is under investigation. In a statement, the airline suggested that suggested that a technical problem in one of the engines may have been the cause. “We are not ruling out anything and are working closely with the relevant authorities, the engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney and the aircraft manufacturer Airbus”, the statement cautioned.
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“We have many questions, and we want them answered”, said Swiss Chief Operating Officer (COO) Oliver Buchhofer, having described his colleague’s death as ‘the saddest of days for us all’.
“Our special thanks go to the responsible parties in Graz, particularly the local emergency services, who have given our passengers and our crew members such professional help and support,” he added. A number of passengers were known to have been hospitalised, but were discharged in the days following the incident.
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“We are devastated at our dear colleague’s death,” said Swiss CEO Jens Fehlinger. “His loss has left us all in the deepest shock and grief. Our thoughts are with his family, whose pain we cannot imagine. I offer them my heartfelt condolences on behalf of all of us at Swiss. And we will, of course, be doing everything in our power to help and support them at this extremely difficult time.”
The effects of fume events on crew and passengers is known as ‘aero toxicity’ and is thought to be caused by chemicals in engine lubricant burning and the smoke entering the cabin via the bleed air system. While incidents as seen on flight LK 1885 are thankfully rare, the issue has been raised by pilot’s groups and trade unions around the world. Symptoms include various neurological and physical maladies and there have been numerous lawsuits brought by former employees over the years.
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