Mystery illness spread through plane mid-flight

Mystery surrounds an unknown illness which has spread though a passenger jet and forced it to turn round. Up to seven of 13 crew members and "many passengers" were struck down with the strange disease - but at this stage no one knows what it is.

SOURCE

Curious. I know we have a dedicated aviation forum here, and I thought about posting there, but this is current news from today.

The articles found so far don't have much in the way of information, but in summary over half the crew and many passengers fell ill quickly on an American Airlines flight from London Heathrow to LAX. The flight diverted back to LHR while crossing Iceland. Emergency crews met the plane at landing and passengers were put up in hotels. Luggage was held for inspection and medical teams tested the air for any dangerous substances but the tests were apparently negative.

Any mechanical things in air handling or other systems that can cause a sudden onset of equilibrium issues but not show up in air tests? Could this be something a passenger carried on? Doubtful it was food, since the crew got hit too.

a reply to: Tripnman

very interesting....will be waiting for more info....could this be something nefarious???

a reply to: Tripnman

Bleed air leak from the engine. It happens a lot more than people realize. It doesn't have to be bad enough to register in air quality tests. The neurotoxic effects hit people at different levels. I'll bet that's determined to be the cause. It's also something that will come and go and can be very difficult to recreate on the ground.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Thanks, Zaphod58. When I mentioned considering posting in the aircraft forum, I was thinking that you'd have some answers. Not to be creepy, but I'm a silent fan.

Hopefully given more time they'll figure it out and we'll have some answers. Just so I'm clear, a bleed air leak would be a leak somewhere inside aircraft where compressed air from the engines or hydraulic systems is being dumped into the passenger cabin?

a reply to: Zaphod58

Bleed air is just compressed air.

There have been some stories about people getting sick from exposure to contaminated bleed air, but it's long term. A whole bunch of people getting sick like this due to a bleed air leak is unheard of. There would have to be some other chemical at play, and not something like hydraulic fluid.

There was nothing in that article about exactly what kind of symptoms the people had. All I can find is that they "fell ill" and looked "a bit pale". It was suggested that it could have been caused by that thing with your middle ear, indicating some kind of unusual pressure change.

The luggage was all checked and cleared. They tested the air, but I'm not sure if they've released any results.

Maybe it could've been mass hysteria. You know, like how some people throw up when they see someone else throwing up and all that.

a reply to: Tripnman

The cabin pressurization system is run by the engines. Occasionally there's a leak in the line that allows exhaust to mix with the cabin air. Sometimes too small to notice, sometimes bad enough that it can make people violently ill. It's believed that it's responsible for some crew members that are permanently disabled with neurological issues, possibly several deaths as well.

a reply to: Volchitsa

Bleed air is a lot more than compressed air, and a bleed air leak can be quite serious. Short term exposure can make people sick as well. It's been documented that people exposed short term get sick too, but tend to recover fairly quickly. People exposed long term suffer more permanent illness.

It's called Aerotoxic Syndrome.

Can anyone be affected?
Yes. The toxins attack the central nervous system (including the brain). It’s not easy to predict how different exposures may affect different people, due to the genetic variability of individuals. Hence, one person’s body may have less success than another’s at detoxifying contaminants and so be affected after just one flight, whilst others may be unaffected after years of exposure. Depending on detoxifying efficiency, the adverse health effects may be cumulative. Therefore, anyone frequently flying (which means once or more a week) is repeatedly exposed and is therefore especially at risk.
Even after a serious fume event, it is possible that no symptoms show initially, but a few days later ill health associated with Aerotoxic Syndrome may kick in.

Anyone in the aircraft can potentially be affected, whether pilots, cabin crew/flight attendants, passengers, first class, economy, minors etc.
Airlines provide no protection to passengers against fume events. Drop-down masks are not effective for removing contaminants. This is because the oxygen supplied by these masks is ONLY allowed to be used in the event of cabin decompression and supplies a maximum of 20 minutes of oxygen, which is mixed with contaminated cabin air.

Activated carbon face masks can offer some protection from toxic oil fumes, but can never provide 100% protection.

aerotoxic.org...


It's also not unheard of.

United 447
Lufthansa
Skywest 5622

Depending on detoxifying efficiency, the adverse health effects may be cumulative. Therefore, anyone frequently flying (which means once or more a week) is repeatedly exposed and is therefore especially at risk.

Something like this would go a long way towards explaining why the crew dropped before the passengers.

a reply to: Tripnman

The UK is doing an in depth study because so many flight crew members have become ill, and have even been forced to retire on disability because if getting sick. Two British Airways pilots died at 43, it's believed as a result of exposure to fumes in the cockpit.

www.express.co.uk...

a reply to: Zaphod58

Well I just learned something, thank you. The stories in the three links you posted above all sound very similar to the current news including the symptoms and the airlines only referring to "a medical emergency" rather than mechanical issues. I hope that inquiry gets traction, sounds like this issue is ruining lives.

Now - if you could help me identify this thing that flew over earlier today... I jest, can't derail my own thread. Heh.

Certainly doesn’t sound like a Microbiological issue.

So will have to say its a problem with the plane itself.

I wonder if they all had water or coffee... I also wonder when the last potable water test was done.

I would bet Zaphod is right, seems too sudden of an onset then E coli. or other water based illness.

originally posted by: Pyle
I wonder if they all had water or coffee... I also wonder when the last potable water test was done.

I would bet Zaphod is right, seems too sudden of an onset then E coli. or other water based illness.

Only path I can think of is if they had rice as a meal and it had bacillus cereus, that has a bloody quick onset.

a reply to: crazyewok

They were only 2 1/2 hours into the flight. They said the flight attendants went down first, then the first passengers.

That would be consistent with a Bleed Air leak. If the crew had been exposed on previous flights and built up toxicity they'd succumb faster.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: crazyewok

They were only 2 1/2 hours into the flight. They said the flight attendants went down first, then the first passengers.

That would be consistent with a Bleed Air leak. If the crew had been exposed on previous flights and built up toxicity they'd succumb faster.

Yeah you need at least 6 for bacillus cereus. Plus a airleak seems likley if the flight attendants are standing up as they would be hit first.

a reply to: crazyewok

Crews tend to have more toxicity build up after repeated exposure to aero toxicity events as well. They need far less exposure than regular passengers as well.

Welcome to the world of low grade lipid pneumonia?

Luckily there was a doctor on board.

back in the old days, they started putting more shielding from the radar set in the nose .......to see if that helped the pilots not living past 60.......it failed.....

I had to quit flying after seeing the safety problems with maintenance, now this pops up