What happened
On 29 June 2021, an Air France Airbus A350, registration F-HTYH, arrived at Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport from Toronto, Canada. Following the arrival of the long-haul flight, ground handling teams positioned disembarkation steps at the aircraft's door. As part of the disembarkation process for passengers with reduced mobility (PRM), specialized transport vehicles were provided to ferry passengers to the terminal.
During the disembarkation of PRM passengers, a conflict arose regarding the capacity of the "HELP" vehicle. A passenger, classified as able to walk short distances (WCHR), and her travel companion were directed to use the aircraft steps because the specialized vehicle had reached its capacity. The passenger's companion expressed significant frustration to the arrival agent and cabin crew, as they did not wish to be separated. While the crew and ground personnel were occupied managing the companion's protest, the passenger attempted to descend the steps alone. Halfway down, she tripped and fell to the bottom of the steps, resulting in one passenger severely injured with visible head and arm injuries.
Concerned by the severity of the injuries and the lack of immediate medical arrival, the captain contacted air traffic control to request assistance. At 0/8:39, the captain issued a MAYDAY to expedite the arrival of airport rescue services.
The investigation
The BEA investigation focused on the coordination between the airline, ground handling services, and airport authorities. Investigators examined the communication protocols between the cabin crew, the arrival agent, and the PRM assistance provider, Passerelle CDHL. The investigation also reviewed the response times of the Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) service and the decision-making process regarding the emergency declaration.
Findings
Several contributing factors led to the incident:
- Lack of prior coordination: The distribution of PRM passengers between available vehicles was not communicated to the flight crew before landing. The crew only received the passenger list during the disembarkation phase.
- Operational confusion: The lack of information regarding vehicle capacity and the handling of travel companions created a chaotic environment. This confusion, compounded by the aggressive behavior of the passenger's companion, prevented the crew and ground agents from noticing the passenger descending the steps unaided.
- Information gaps: Air France's procedure for preemptively notifying crews of PRM distribution via ACARS is only activated for flights with more than 15 PRMs; this flight did not meet that threshold.
- Emergency response perception: The captain's decision to declare a MAYDAY was driven by the uncertainty of the medical service's arrival time and the perceived life-threatening nature of the injuries.