American Airlines flight back to Guarulhos after oxygen problem

An American Airlines flight that left Guarulhos for New York had to turn back to Sao Paulo Airport after the plane experienced a depressurization problem shortly after takeoff, in the early hours of yesterday. Videos show passengers wearing oxygen masks amid stress, as valves that pump “breathable” air at high altitudes may fail.

Alerted by flight control of the situation, firefighters waited for a Boeing ready to fight a potential fire – the plane had a full fuel tank. Despite the fear, the team acted only by dumping water on the landing gear, which threatened a fire. The plane, which left Guarulhos at 00:10 on January 23, returned to the runway less than an hour later, at 00:59.

“Everything was going normally immediately after take-off. After 20 minutes into the flight, the flight attendant warned everyone that we would return to the airport due to a mechanical failure on the plane, but she did not say the reason. After about 5 minutes, the masks fell off without warning, and the flight attendants ordered them Wearing masks and breathing through them, then the captain announced that there was a problem with pressure and that was why we were returning, but the plane was working and safe.” Passenger Eloy da Fonseca Neto, owner of the Mestre das Milhas website, UOL.

He and the other passengers were allowed to remove their masks during the flight, when the plane descended below 10,000 feet (an altitude of about 3 kilometers) – an altitude compatible with breathing even without the pressure system working.

According to Eloy, as the photos show, the situation in the cabin remained calm even after the pilot announced the unplanned return to Guarulhos.

“The landing was normal, there was no panic, and as soon as the plane landed everyone applauded. In my experience as a frequent flyer, it was a normal landing. There was no panic, but there were people claiming to be dizzy. You have to take it off before you put it on, or the oxygen won’t go away,” explained an American Airlines customer.

Customers report delays in getting to the hotel

But despite the happy ending, the delay in disembarking was a passenger complaint. Eloy says it took about an hour and 40 minutes after landing for passengers to exit the Boeing, even with no sign of a fire or “major malfunctions,” according to the captain. Eloy used to travel, and says he was “run out” when he arrived at the station to pick up taxis and hotel vouchers handed out by the company. But the account differs from that given by other passengers.

On Twitter, an American named Melanie used the American Airlines pages to complain about the situation of her boyfriend, who was on flight AA950. According to her, the boy did not understand the instructions given at the airport – he spoke only in Portuguese – and even left the terminal in which he landed, as the security guards, who control the movement of people in Guarulhos, almost prevented them from returning to the concourse. During the night.

At 3:47 a.m., nearly three hours after his arrival, the young man had not received tickets to go to the company-provided hotel in Barra Fonda. When commenting on the company’s procedures, Eloy finds that the assistance provided was “standard,” though not perfect. It has already been assigned to another flight and is in the United States.

“The assistance was normal, but with so many people getting off it can create confusion. I thought the airline could have done a better service, but that’s the bare minimum for an incident like this,” he said.

When called, the airline reported that American Airlines Flight 950 from Sao Paulo (GRU) to New York (JFK) had returned to GRU due to a mechanical problem. “The aircraft landed safely and customers disembarked on the taxiway before being taken by coach to the terminal. All customers were accommodated in hotels. We never want to disrupt our customers’ travel plans and are sorry for the inconvenience.”