Flybe Incident 19th August
I have been reading these forums out of interest for some time but have never made a posting. However as a passenger on yesterday's Flybe flight that made an emergency landing at Manchester I feel I wish to make a contribution. I hope by doing so I am not breaking any rules, apologies in advance if I have done so.
A few minutes after take off the cabin did begin to feel with smoke. As it became thicker there was some concern amongst passengers but everyone was incredibly calm and attentive when we were informed by cabin crew that the captain had sent out a mayday to Manchester and that we would be returning to land asap. Cabin crew were superb reassuring passengers and checking the cabin.
As I was sitting at towards the rear of the plane I along with another gentleman were briefed on how to open the exits on both sides of the rear of the plane. We then returned to our seats for landing.By the time we did land the smoke was quite dense.
The landing was fast but the aircraft stopped quickly turning a little to the left.
The fire service was alongside within a minute. We were then ordered by the captain to 'Evacuate, Evacuate! which we did using all 4 exits not just the steps. I know this because I used the rear emergency exit on the right hand side of the plane as did several other passengers.Once again the attitude of my fellow passengers was commendable.
I was very impressed by care of flight and cabin crew after the evacuation to ensure all passengers were ok.
After quick checks, head counts etc we were taken to an area which must be designated for such events. We were all impressed by the follow up care offered by the Manchester Airport and Flybe Staff. 25 of us elected to travel on the 1840 service back to Southampton. Six passengers who lived locally decided to return home for a bit of a break.
Some passengers whilst in the holding area did overhear that the smoke may have been coming from the cockpit but I cannot confirm this for certain.
Overall I was impressed by the handling of the whole situation. We were always kept fully informed.Interestingly most of the passengers who continued to travel were very positive about the airline and the airport. This goes to show if incidents are handled correctly and openly damage can be minimised.
I hope this reads ok!
V.