Six people were in hospital, two with serious injuries, on Wednesday after a depressurisation incident during the test flight of an Airbus A330 to be delivered to Air Mauritius, firefighters said.| "Whoa! Where's Pierre?" "Out the port-hole of seat 27A, I think." |
A company spokeswoman said two people would remain under observation in hospital Wednesday night after having been 'unconscious for a while'. Firefighters said those hospitalised were suffering from spine injuries and ear drum problems.
'Because of a sudden depressurisation the pilot pulled the plane down quickly, in line with procedure, causing those on board standing or walking about to fall,' Airbus said. The plane landed normally at Toulouse-Blagnac airport.
On Nov 15, an Airbus A340-600 carrying out engine tests crashed into an anti-noise barrier at Toulouse airport, injuring 10 people. Two of the passengers and another person on the ground were seriously injured. The four-engined plane was destined for Abu Dhabi-based carrier Etihad Airways. It can carry between 380 and 472 passengers depending on the model.