VICTORIA FALLS – A Fastjet plane flying from Victoria Falls to Harare was forced to land after experiencing depressurisation on April 7, the airline said in a statement.
The Embraer ERJ 145 performing flight FN8006 was climbing through 16,000 feet after taking off from Victoria Falls International Airport when it “experienced a pressurisation system failure.”
The statement added: “In accordance with standard procedures, this necessitated an immediate descent to below 10,000 feet… The aircraft returned to Victoria Falls, landing safely without further reported incidents.”
Fastjet said the crew “followed the approved procedures and demonstrated the rigorous training standards that our pilots and cabin crew undergo regularly.”
Commercial aircraft are pressurised due to the high-altitude, hostile environment in which they operate. Without sufficient oxygen humans encounter a condition called hypoxia, which reduces our abilities to solve problems and perform basic tasks.
Air is brought in via bleed air from the engines, compressed, and fed into the cabin. The air then leaves the cabin via an outflow valve. This constant cycle of refreshed air helps to regulate the pressure. It also contributes to making commercial aircraft cabins one of the most sterile spaces possible.
A loss in cabin pressure at high altitude immediately places those on board at risk of oxygen deprivation, hypoxia and unconsciousness.
(Additional reporting FlightRadar24)
