B733, en-route, north of Yuma AZ USA, 2011

B733, en-route, north of Yuma AZ USA, 2011

Summary

On 1 April 2011, a Southwest Boeing 737-300 climbing through FL340 experienced a sudden loss of pressurisation as a section of fuselage crown skin ruptured. A successful emergency descent was made with a diversion to Yuma, where the aircraft landed half an hour later. Investigation found that the cause of the failure was an undetected manufacturing fault in the 15 year-old aircraft. One member of the cabin crew and an off duty staff member who tried to assist him became temporarily unconscious after disregarding training predicated on the time of useful consciousness after sudden depressurisation.

Description

On 1 April 2011, a Boeing 737-300 being operated by Southwest Airlines on a scheduled passenger flight from Phoenix to Sacramento was climbing through FL 340 in day Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC) when sudden depressurisation occurred. An emergency was declared, an emergency descent actioned and an off track diversion was successfully completed to Yuma where it was discovered that the crown of the fuselage at mid cabin had ruptured leaving a hole approximately 1.5metres long by 0.2 metres across. There were no injuries except to one of the cabin crew who failed to get onto oxygen before becoming temporarily unconscious and sustaining minor impact injuries during their subsequent fall and an off duty company employee who tried to assist him and who suffered in the same way.

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