interesting development:
I just read a report indicating that the oxygen masks were deployed by the flight crew, even though the same article quotes American Airlines saying (properly) that the oxygen masks are not capable of helping in a smoke situation.
Also that the cause was oil dripping .
also, that some of the oxygen masks didn't work and the FAA is investigating all.
8pax injured due to using slides.
ok then...the article:
FAA reviewing reports of malfunctioning oxygen masks on American flight
Officials are investigating concerns that some of the safety gear did not
deploy and others failed to provide oxygen on a Boeing 757 that made an
emergency landing last week at LAX.
The Federal Aviation Administration is reviewing the reported failures of
dozens of oxygen masks aboard an American Airlines flight that made an
emergency landing last week at Los Angeles International Airport.
FAA officials said Monday that they were looking into concerns that some
masks for passengers did not deploy during the incident while others failed
to provide oxygen.
American Airlines flight makes emergency landing at LAX
"We take reports like this very seriously," said Ian Gregor, an FAA
spokesman. "The FAA is working closely with American to determine what the
problems are, why they happened, and to make sure the problems are fixed."
American Airlines Flight 31 had just taken off from LAX about 9 a.m. on Aug.
5 when the pilot reported smoke in the cabin. The Boeing 757, which was en
route to Honolulu, immediately returned to LAX and made an emergency
landing.
Airport officials said 188 passengers and seven crew members were evacuated
using the aircraft's emergency chutes -- a rare occurrence. Eight people
suffered minor injuries.
American Airlines blamed the incident on hot oil that leaked from a
compressor for one of the plane's two jet engines. It produced a strong odor
and some haze in the passenger cabin. Tim Wagner, an airline spokesman, said
the problem turned out to be minor.
Wagner said American was reviewing the emergency landing and whether the
aircraft's oxygen masks worked properly. He said the masks are specifically
designed to supply oxygen to passengers and crew members during the loss of
cabin pressure at higher altitudes.
"They are not meant to be used in a fire or smoke situation," Wagner said.
Federal officials say emergency oxygen masks are supposed to work whether
they are automatically deployed during depressurization or manually
activated by the flight crew, as was the case with Flight 31.
The FAA has been concerned for some time about oxygen mask failures aboard
Boeing 757s and 737s -- aircraft that are popular with foreign and domestic
airlines.
In May 2007, the agency issued an air worthiness directive ordering carriers
to inspect oxygen masks on those planes and correct any problems by 2012.
The directive affects about 815 of the two types of jetliners that fly
routes in the United States.
FAA officials issued the order after receiving information that oxygen
generators had failed during in-flight depressurization. The agency blamed
components that had fractured between the oxygen masks and the release pins
that activate the flow of air.
During its review of the emergency landing, Wagner said American would
consider the decision by the flight crew to evacuate passengers using the
chutes.
Questions have been raised in news reports about the necessity of activating
the slides for what turned out to be a relatively minor problem.
Wagner said that American flight attendants receive safety training and have
the authority to activate the chutes if they think it is necessary. Gregor
said the decision to deploy the slides did not violate FAA regulations.
Air traffic controllers at LAX were concerned that the American Airlines
pilot did not notify the tower that emergency chutes were going to be
deployed, said Michael Foote, a local representative of the National Air
Traffic Controllers Assn.
Foote said controllers are responsible for directing aircraft as they taxi
to and from terminals. Advance notice from the American flight, he said,
would have made it easier for controllers to handle the situation.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedi...en12-2008aug12
,0,6890661.story
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