History of the Flight
The crew of Air France flight AF351 departed Toronto at 18:41 local time bound for Paris-Charles de Gaulle. After a flight of approximately seven hours, the aircraft arrived at parking position H07 at 07:42. Disembarkation steps were positioned at door 2G by ground handling staff. Two vehicles for transporting persons with reduced mobility (PRMs) were provided: a HELP vehicle at door 4G and a van-type vehicle near the steps.
After all able-bodied passengers had disembarked, cabin crew began assisting the nine PRMs and their travel companions. Because more passengers wished to board the HELP vehicle than its capacity allowed, cabin crew instructed that only PRMs could use it. One PRM and her travel companion, who did not want to be separated, were directed to the front of the cabin to board the van. Upon reaching door 2G, the travel companion voiced annoyance to the arrival agent while the PRM descended the steps alone. About halfway down, she tripped and fell to the bottom.
A cabin crew member provided aid, and the chief purser notified the captain. At 08:26, the captain requested medical assistance via ground frequency. At 08:37, with emergency services still not present and the passenger appearing severely injured, the captain again contacted the controller and at 08:39 declared a MAYDAY to expedite response. Airport rescue services arrived at 08:45, joined a minute later by an outside ambulance crew, who transported the passenger to hospital.
Additional Information
PRM Categorization
Air France categorizes PRMs by independence level: WCHC (requires assistance at all times), WCHS (can walk unaided but cannot use steps), and WCHR (can walk unaided and use steps over short distances). The injured passenger had declared herself as WCHR.
Travel Companions
The passenger’s travel companion was her husband. While some companions may serve as safety assistants with procedural responsibilities, in this case no special status applied.
Disembarkation Context
The flight was long-haul, and arrival away from the terminal can cause additional discomfort. The occurrence of complications could lead to impulsive reactions.
Roles and Responsibilities
During flight, flight crew and cabin crew have defined safety duties. After flight, their responsibilities end at the aircraft doors. The operator's arrival agent is responsible for managing passenger transfer, especially PRMs, in coordination with cabin crew and ground agents. Air France procedures direct that if a passenger is injured between aircraft and terminal, the agent must contact emergency medical services.
PRM Assistance Organization at Paris-Charles de Gaulle
European regulations place ground assistance responsibility on airport managing bodies. Paris Aéroport had outsourced this to Passerelle CDG, which used procedures defined with Air France.
Preparation for PRM Disembarkation
Air France has a procedure for communicating PRM lists to crew via ACARS before arrival, reserved for arrivals after 05:00 with more than 15 PRMs. For this flight, the procedure was not activated as PRM count was nine.
Coordination on Arrival
Passerelle CDG procedures require distribution of PRMs between vehicles to be determined before agents reach the aircraft. Air France procedures state the arrival agent must coordinate with the chief purser and PRM team; the timeline is not defined. In this case, the arrival agent requested distribution information after all able-bodied passengers had disembarked.
Access to HELP Vehicle
Travel companions of PRMs (except for minors or WCHC) are generally not authorized to use the HELP vehicle unless there is extra room. In practice, cabin crew and agents try to accommodate companions when possible.
WCHR Passenger Assistance
Air France procedures state that WCHR passengers receive assistance throughout the airport, with a wheelchair available on request; otherwise, arm support is provided. In practice, assistance varies among cabin crew.
Crew Statements
Cabin crew reported that the list of passengers for the HELP vehicle was not provided before arrival; the arrival agent only handed it to the chief purser after being explicitly asked, after able-bodied passengers had boarded buses.