On Saturday morning, a Delta Air Lines flight attendant made a costly error when they unintentionally opened the emergency slide on a Boeing 767-300 that had just landed in Dublin after an overnight flight from Boston.
The 24-year-old aircraft landed in the Irish capital at around 7:20 am on Saturday, but once it had reached the gate, an emergency slide had unintentionally been deployed.
In terms of parts and maintenance, replacing an emergency slide is expected to cost at least $35,000; however, for dual-aisle aircraft like the Boeing 767, this cost can be significantly higher.
The emergency slide on the front right-side door was unintentionally opened during the disarming process, according to Delta.
Oh, that's not good .. accidental deployment of the emergency slide on a Delta aircraft at Dublin this morning pic.twitter.com/i6j4oaQRy0
— Michael Kelly (@Michaelkelly707) September 9, 2023
Inadvertent slide deployments, or ISDs as they are known in the industry, happen frequently and without warning. About three ISDs occur each day around the world, and four out of every five of those occur when an aircraft arrives, claims aircraft manufacturer Airbus.
Around 65% of ISDs are the fault of flight attendants, and so-called “human factors” like fatigue or a lack of focus are frequently to blame for an accident slide deployment.
ISDs are a major concern for airlines in addition to the cost because they present a very serious injury risk, particularly to ground personnel who could be struck by an inflating slide.
Because the forward left-hand door is the one that passengers board and depart from most frequently, the vast majority of ISDs happen there. An ISD happens when a flight attendant attempts to open the door without first disarming the slide.
It appears that a crew member may have unintentionally moved the door handle in the Saturday Delta incident. In June, a British Airways flight experienced a similar incident.
Photo cover via twitter: @Michaelkelly707
