Jmc 757
“you see, i was a passenger on the flight”
in this case i got the chance to see the situation from "The other side",
“it was a terryfying experience for everyone, and EXC's attitude basically stank.”
“Now my memory begins to fail me ( i was only 11 at the time, 17 now)”
I feel that the passage of time may have distorted some of your observations and facts relating to Flight EXC 067, MCO-MAN on July 8th 1996.
The flight crew consisted of a Captain under training, the aircraft Commander, a Flight Engineer under training and the EXC Chief Flight Engineer.
Whilst preparing to board the aircraft the Cabin Manager reported to the flight deck a strange smell and accompanying haze in the rear cabin.
The four flight deck crew, cabin crew and British Airways ground engineers went to the rear cabin to investigate. The observations of the cabin crew proved correct, but the source could not be determined. As a precaution the Commander stopped the pre boarding preparation and requested all non crew members to leave the aircraft. He also asked for a fire truck to stand by the aircraft pending an investigation. ONE, not three Fire Trucks stood by. An APU oil leak contaminating the air conditioning was thought to be the problem. The APU was shut down and the FAINT smell and hardy discernable HAZE disappeared.
The BA engineer investigated, sourced the leak and declared the a/c serviceable, the commander requested the engineer to confirm that the ducting was clear of oil and that there was no prospect of contamination, an assurance was given. All passengers and bags were loaded.
The push back and start was normal, however when the air conditioning was put on the haze accompanied by a faint smell returned, the Cabin Manager reported this to the flight deck and the Commander decided to return to stand. The haze effect had been enhanced by the normal condensation which often occurs when the packs are put on in hot and humid conditions.
On return to stand the BA engineer advised the Commander that it would be easier for him to check the system if the passengers disembarked.
After further work was carried out to clean up the system the commander decided that he wanted to test the system and purge it before any passengers were boarded. The aircraft was taxied to H9 and an 85% power run was carried out, the three engineers and all the cabin crew were satisfied with the results One passenger described this as being an “aborted take-off from high speed” (on a taxiway)
As a result of what had happened the Commander went to the gate and, using the PA, spoke to the passengers as a group and also individually to explain exactly what had happened. Some of the passengers, having gained strength from alcohol, were rude and abusive, others discussed the situation in detail with the Commander.
The Commander made the statement that he valued his own life too much to embark on an aircraft that he was not 100% certain was safe.
Having determined that all the luggage had been through an x-ray he advised the passengers that to delay the flight to off load baggage would result in the crew going out of hours and that in the interests of the majority, 266, and the 365 waiting to fly from MAN to MCO the flight would depart with all the bags on board. It wasn’t a tactic, it was an honest attempt to communicate the full facts, standing in front of the passengers
Replaying the Sky News tape of the events reveals passengers interviewed on arrival at MAN, several comments along the lines of “I was ashamed to be British the way some of the passengers were behaving”. One passenger who stayed behind stated “ I am certain the aircraft is safe, but my children have been frightened by some of the wild statements made by some of these people”.
Jmc757, these are the facts, I was the Commander of EXC067. and there was another side which you did not see. But thank you for reminding us all of what an excellent airline Excalibur was for those of us who were privileged to work for it.