Passenger dies on an AF777 due to heat stoke

[Comoman]

Scary reading if true....


"PASSENGERS on a Qantas-affiliated flight are outraged after an Australian man died shortly after the air conditioning failed and temperatures soared above 35C.
The Western Australia man, aged 85, passed away after suffering what was thought to be a heart attack or stroke on board the Air France/Qantas flight from Paris to Singapore last night."

Rest here: Man dies on 'unbearably hot' flight | Travel | News.com.au (http://www.news.com.au/travel/story/0,28318,26182049-5009000,00.html)

[Sqwak7700]

There is that caveat on all MELs; "As long as the CA thinks it is safe".

I hope these guys weren't dispatching with some sort of MEL that contributed, otherwise the lawyers are gonna line up... :hmm:

[TightSlot]

cattletruck - I'd suggest that you don't take too much away from Air Babylon - It isn't a reliable source of anything, beyond mild entertainment. I'm sorry to be so blunt - I read it, and it raised an occasional smile, but more often, a roll of the eyes (if that's possible whilst reading?). I'd say that 60% of it has some basis in fact, although heavily embellished, and the rest was simply alien to my personal experience as Cabin Crew, Check-In Agent, Reservation Sales & Ticketing Agent, Manager (Various) and that of anybody else that I know or have met.

Ouch! - That reads back as being a bit more strident than intended - sorry! It's just my personal view.

[mmurray]

Version I read was a bit different. The auxiliary power on the ground wasn't working so no air con while on the ground in Paris for 90 minutes. Air con while in flight during which time the gentleman died. So not the implied 35 degrees during the whole flight. That said I have been in that kind of situation and sitting on the tarmac in a hot metal tube is very unpleasant.

Of course the version I read could be wrong.

Michael

[PAXboy]

Once the inquest has been held and, providing that, documents are made public - it will be possible to learn:-
The deceased's state of health prior to boarding the flight
Any prescribed medication that he was on and whether he had taken it
Any over the counter medication that he may have taken before/during the flight
What food (too much/too little) that he had consumed in the previous 6 hours
What alcohol and liquids (too much/too little) that he had consumed in the previous 6 hours
The combined effect of all of the above upon him, given any pre-existing medical conditions that he may have had.
EtceteraBut that won't get reported as it's complex and not nearly as much 'fun' as the headline this week. For example, a fellow I know of died in June aged 28. He had been at the gym, was fit (as far as could be told) and lived an active life. The post mortem revealed and inquest learned, that he had a congenital heart disease and he could have died then, or not for another 1/5/10 years but it gave no symptoms or warning.

Not to say that the airline did not make mistakes but people die for many reasons and the heat may have brought forward a heart attack (or whatever the actual mechanism was) by one day or a year. The airline will be measured against the duty of care to their customers.

Sorry to be boring and pedantic but this is one of the reasons I read only 10% of the papers and web news that I read ten years ago.