Passengers bled inflight

THE Accident Investigation Commission (AIC) says it is looking into a serious accident which occurred last Monday (Feb 20) involving a Fokker 70 and its 76 passengers bound for Western Highlands.
The aircraft conducted a return to Port Moresby due to weather conditions not being suitable for a landing in Mt Hagen.
During descent into Port Moresby, the aircraft reportedly sustained a pressurisation issue. On landing the aircraft at Jackson International Airport, a passenger of the accident flight alerted Air Niugini customer service that a few passengers from the flight were bleeding from the ears and noses.
After assessing the injured passengers, the airline’s customer service officers then activated a response plan and had the injured passengers transported to Pacific International Hospital for further medical assessment.
AIC acting chairman Captain Aria Bouraga said it was reported that a total of 22 people were injured in which seven had serious injuries and were admitted, six were under review, and nine were discharged.
“AIC was notified by the operator of the accident through email on Wednesday (Feb 22) at 4.18pm, two days after the incident,” Bouraga said.
“We have had four occurrences in this month and the AIC has been working around the clock to ensure that all accident site investigations are conducted fully for appropriate safety lessons.“
Bouraga urged all operators to take proper precautions and ensure that appropriate safety standards were maintained.