Virgin flight VS27 turned back to Gatwick this morning approx 10 minutes after takeoff. The Captain announced that an emergency landing would take place.
Reports suggest that there was smoke in the cabin, but this has not been confirmed. What is important to talk about is the reports of injuries caused by the emergency evacuation itself.
We only evacuate an aircraft if it is thought life may be in danger. Therefore when the captain ordered the evacuation he would have done so knowing full well that injuries may occur, but felt it was necessary in order to protect life.
Bruised limbs, or the odd broken bone is a small price to pay when there are passengers life’s to protect.
Once again the media have decided to interview affected passengers without talking to anyone in the aviation industry. Talking to a passenger who seems it is strange for a Virgin cabin crew member to be shouting for passengers to get off should not be allowed!
If a captain orders an evacuation, OF COURSE the cabin crew will be shouting for you to get off…. That is what we are trained to do! We train to evacuate all passengers within 90 seconds, and that means we shout and scream at you to get a move on.
It has been proven time and time again that passengers who are being evacuated attempt to gather their belongings before getting off. Therefore we have to be authoritative in order to create a sense of urgency and get everybody off as quickly as possible.
Also, the passenger stated he knew something was wrong immediately as takeoff was ‘wobbly’. How is this showing something was wrong?!! It was a little windy today, so a wobbly takeoff is to be expected.
Another passenger interviewed said everything was normal until the captain informed them they would be returning to Gatwick.
I am fed up with this one sided, pathetic reporting of incidents like this. If you are going to interview passengers who know nothing about flying, then at least counteract with knowledgeable comment from someone who works in the aviation industry.
Any reporters reading… Please contact me whenever you wish to get some impartial comments from someone who knows what they are talking about.
2 responses to “Virgin Flight VS27 Emergency Evacuation at Gatwick Airport”
Can you explain to us what did happen?
This is actually the first I’m hearing about it, and was about to Google it, but then thought it would be nice to hear about it from someone who is a bit more rational about it rather then the media who blow EVERYTHING out of proportion. Especially since I’m on this website trying to feel a bit better about a long haul flight I’ve got coming up.
I would really appreciate it, and you sound like you want to get your point across as well! 🙂
Thanks!
In truth, we don’t really know what did happen. There were reports of smoke in the cabin after takeoff but emergency services found no evidence of fire when the plane was examined.
It may be the case that the evacuation was not required, and that will be investigated. What is important though is that those passengers were ordered to evacuate as the pilots/crew believed there was a threat to safety if they remained onboard.
The fact that the media stated a passenger as saying he knew there was something wrong as the takeoff was wobbly is ridiculous. This has absolutely nothing to do with the event whatsoever, and is more likely due to the breezy weather conditions.
I’ll keep you all updated if I hear anymore.