At London Heathrow Airport (LHR) a flight attendant grounded a British Airways flight after accidentally activating the emergency slide, only on his second shift. This caused a six-hour delay as passengers had to exit the plane. This incident marks BA’s third accidental emergency slide activation in two years.
The Incident
British Airways flight BA217 was preparing for a transatlantic journey from Heathrow Terminal 5 to Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD).
The flight attendant, who was on only his second flight after finishing initial training, became confused when the command “Doors to automatic” was given. Instead of just arming the system, he opened the door 3L, which immediately deployed the high-pressure emergency slide onto the tarmac.
Airport fire and rescue teams rushed to the aircraft on the stand as a precaution. There was no actual emergency, fire, or safety threat to the up to 336 passengers on board. After an engineering inspection and securing the door, the same aircraft was able to depart for Washington around 7:00 p.m. that evening, making the flight delayed by six hours.
These kinds of incidents are known as ‘inadvertent slide deployments’ (ISDs). According to aircraft manufacturer, Airbus, around three ISDs occur around the world every single day, and they are a major logistical headache. Replacing, repacking, and resetting a Boeing 777 slide, combined with missed airport slots and ground handling costs, is estimated to cost the airline around £100,000 ($125,000).
Similar Incidents
- February 2024 (Airbus A320): A captain mistakenly opened an armed door at Heathrow just before a flight to Romania.
- January 2024 (Boeing 787 Dreamliner): After landing at Mumbai International Airport (BOM), a cabin manager accidentally deployed the emergency slide.
- June 2023 (Airbus A350): A flight attendant on her very first day of work accidentally activated the emergency slide on a jet bound for Austin, Texas.
- January 2023 (Boeing 777): A new-hire crew member on their first flight muddled up the “doors to automatic” command and opened the armed door while preparing to depart from Heathrow to Lagos.
Following the spike in slide deployments in 2023, British Airways introduced a Japanese workplace safety protocol called Shisa Kanko (Pointing and Calling). Under this system, cabin crew are required to physically point at the door handle and audibly speak its status before touching it.
Have you ever been on a delayed flight? What was the reason? Tell us about your experience in the comments.
