What happened
On 2 December 2017, a Boeing 737-8AS, registration EI-DCH, was performing a positioning flight from Cologne Airport to London Stansted Airport. The flight, operated without passengers, was being flown by two pilots and four cabin crew members. During the landing phase, a catering cart became unlatched from its stowage in the aft galley. As the aircraft touched down and braking was applied, the cart traveled down the center aisle.
The moving cart struck a member of the cabin crew who was seated in an aft-facing jumpseat near the forward left door. The impact resulted in a serious injury, specifically a fractured femur. The crew member attempted to stand but collapsed, and the position of the individual on the cabin floor temporarily obstructed the main access door, delaying the arrival of medical assistance from the airport's rescue services.
The investigation
The investigation examined the seating arrangements and cabin security protocols used during the positioning flight. It was established that while the commander expected the crew to be in their assigned jumpseats, the No 2 crew member had been permitted to sit in the flight deck to observe the descent. Because of this arrangement, the standard security checks for a three-person cabin crew were not fully implemented.
Investigators found that the crew members were not in their assigned seats according to the operator's manual. Some crew members were seated in passenger seats, believing this was permissible for a flight without passengers. Furthermore, while the No 1 crew member had checked the security of the carts, the No 3 crew member had moved forward to a different jumpseat shortly before landing, leaving the aft galley area unmonitored.
An engineering inspection of the Boeing 737-8AS revealed no defects in the catering cart's latching mechanism. The operator's internal review noted that deceleration forces during the landing were within normal parameters.
Findings
- The primary cause of the injury was the unsecured catering cart becoming dislodged during landing.
- The cabin crew were not seated in their assigned jumpseats as required by the operator's Safety and Emergency Procedures.
- Pre-landing security checks for the areas normally managed by the No 2 crew member were not performed because the No 2 crew member was located in the flight deck.
- The No 3 crew member was not in their assigned aft-galley seat, which might have allowed them to notice and prevent the cart from becoming insecure.