Terrifying Ryanair 21,000ft emergency descent 'forced by maintenance errors'
PA
A Ryanair passenger plane that was forced to make a terrifying 21,000ft emergency descent was not properly maintained, a new report has found.
Thirteen people were hurt in the incident when lost cabin pressure forced the captain to take the plane from 31,000ft to 10,000ft in five minutes to make sure passengers could breathe.
The flight from Milan to the East Midlands was carrying 134 passengers at the time, and diverted to Frankfurt Hahn Airport following the incident.
The interim report by the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation found that when the main pressure controller failed, its back up also failed because it had been incorrectly installed.
It also highlighted possible changes in how aircraft maker Boeing could make the controller easier to fit.
A Ryanair spokesman told the BBC: "Ryanair notes the German Authority interim report into an aircraft depressurisation in April 2012.
"The German report suggests that Boeing redesigns a 'black shipping plug' to make it more 'clearly visible' for maintenance staff, and Ryanair will follow any recommendations made by the final report."
The incident happened back in April; Jacqueline Frater, who was travelling with her husband Melvin, was one of the 134 passengers on board. She told the BBC: "You could see the whites of the eyes of the people next to you. People were panicking but they weren't screaming or shouting.
"You overheard the captain saying 'mayday, mayday,' and he was saying it rapidly as we were going down. I thought my number was up."
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