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November–December 2002
Recommendations Warn Against Opening Cabin Doors While Airplanes Are Pressurized 6 pages. [PDF 73K]
Two flight attendants were killed and two flight attendants were injured during three separate occurrences in which cabin doors burst open after the door handles were turned and the flight attendants were ejected forcibly onto the ramp by outflowing air, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said.
September–October 2002
Reports Show Difficulty of Responding to In-flight Psychiatric Emergencies 12 pages. [PDF 112K]
Passenger behavior known to involve psychiatric disorders and to threaten aircraft safety appeared infrequently in recent data analyses. Flight attendant training for ‘handling of deranged passengers’ should include defensive tactics, nonaggressive methods of talking and use of all available resources.
July–August 2002
Study of Airline’s Flight Attendants Finds More Than Half of Injuries Affect Muscles and Bones in Back, Neck, Shoulders 12 pages. [PDF 64K]
A report on the Canadian study says that the primary risk factors were the handling of passenger baggage, the design of the galley, the design and maintenance of service trolleys, and flight attendant seating.
May–June 2002
Report Recommends Jumping Onto Evacuation Slide as Best Egress Method for Adults Carrying Infants and Young Children 6 pages. [PDF 484K]
The report by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration Civil Aerospace Medical Institute said that flight attendant emergency-evacuation briefings should include instructions to parents about the proper methods of boarding evacuation slides and of protecting the child’s head and neck during the boarding maneuver.
March–April 2002
Consistent Use of ‘Silent Review’ Supports Quick, Correct Actions 8 pages. [PDF 54K]
By focusing on relevant procedures and conditions prior to takeoff and landing, flight attendants increase the probability of responding correctly to an emergency. Many civil aviation authorities and air carriers worldwide recommend or require silent review, a practice compatible with knowledge of human factors and situational awareness.
January–February 2002
Cabin-air Contamination Briefly Incapacitates Crew 4 pages. [PDF 35K]
Although the source of contamination was not identified, the Swedish Board of Accident Investigation said that the quality of the cabin air was of “crucial significance” when
the captain and first officer suddenly suffered nausea and dizziness during descent. Earlier that day, cabin crewmembers told the pilots about other symptoms experienced aboard the aircraft.