CABIN Crew on a Ryanair flight were forced to bang on the cockpit door to alert pilots to a mid-air emergency after oxygen masks failed to deploy for some passengers.

Nine passengers on a Ryanair flight had to move seats during the serious incident because their oxygen masked failed to drop down as expected.

Frantic staff attempted to prise the units open with ID cards in a bid to reach the stored oxygen masks.

An air traffic investigation has criticised the airline after its cabin crew dealt ineffectively with an unexpected loss of pressure that followed the take-off from Dublin airport.

Some 148 passengers and six crew were on board the Boeing 737-800 that had to make an emergency landing in Dublin on September 2008.

Attempts to alert the pilot and co-pilot to the unfolding drama failed as the pair were busy donning their own oxygen masks and did not hear the initial call on the intercom.

Eventually the crew member resorted to banging on the flight door to establish communication.

One passenger told the investigators: "I was aware of shouting from the rear of the plane ... This stewardess then came on to the intercom from the front of the cabin and asked for everyone to put on their oxygen masks. The passenger added: "I could see that the passengers in the row in front of me did not have masks on and were striking the overhead cabinets with their fists to try and get them to open."

The incident occurred when the Stansted-bound plane's tail slapped the runway surface during take-off. The pilot continued to ascend while a non-normal take-off checklist was carried out. Shortly afterwards cabin crew members realised the cabin had depressurised and tried contacting the flight crew.

Mayday

The plane was passing 10,000ft when the flight crew declared a Mayday and re-routed for an emergency landing in Dublin.

Air accident investigators concluded: "The chain of events following the tailstrike led to this occurrence becoming a serious incident where many of the passengers were anxious and upset."

They added: "With the exception of the CSS, the cabin crew did not deal effectively with the unexpected loss of cabin pressurisation."

Ryanair accepted the findings and has put in place "some changes" regarding the training of flight and cabin crew.

hnews@herald.ie

- Kevin Doyle