Three flight attendants sue BA for £110,000 over runway fire ordeal
Three
British Airways flight attendants who helped passengers escape a plane on fire are suing the airline for £110,000.
Marie Dyos, Lynette Robinson and Suely Goncalves-McLoughlin helped to evacuate 170 people from a Boeing 777 when an engine burst into flames at McCarran airport in Las Vegas.
The drama unfolded as the Gatwick-bound plane accelerated along the runway for take-off, forcing the pilot to brake and order an evacuation.
The three cabin crew members say they have been left mentally scarred by the incident, being the last to exit the jet after helping passengers escape.
Marie Dyos and Lynette Robinson (Champion News) The Mayor’s and City of London court heard the three women have been left with post-traumatic stress disorder while Miss Goncalves-McLoughlin also claims her vision was damaged in the September 2015 incident.
They are now suing British Airways for damages, with Ms Robinson and Miss Goncalves-McLoughlin claiming £40,000 and Mrs Dyos seeking £30,000.
They have accused fellow crew members of being negligent by “failing to follow the engine fire checklist”, allowing 97 gallons of fuel to spill onto the runway and allegedly feed the fire.
The captain is also accused of delaying shutting down the other engine, prolonging the evacuation as two escape slides could not be used.
British Airways denies all blame, disputing that the air crew had failed to follow procedure and defending the actions of the captain.
The court heard Ms Robinson, from East Sussex, opened a door on the right of the plane but the escape chute was unusable due to the blast from the still-running right engine. She is now plagued by flashbacks and remains “anxious and hyper vigilant”, said the women’s barrister Martin Haukeland.
He said Miss Goncalves-McLoughlin, from East Sussex, suffered damage to her cornea when she also opened a door on the right of the plane. “Her eyes were exposed to high velocity particles thrown up by the still running right-hand engine,” said Mr Haukeland.
Mrs Dyos, of Horley, Surrey, has returned to work but is undergoing treatment for anxiety and struggles with
PTSD symptoms, the court heard.
She claims to suffer from lasting shoulder pain due to holding closed a cupboard door to create a gangway for the passengers.
At a preliminary hearing, Lucy Wyles, for BA, pointed out that the women have already settled US lawsuits brought against the Boeing Company and GE Aviation Systems LLC in 2016 and said they should not be entitled to further compensation over the same incident.