What happened
On 23 August 2013, a Boeing 757-2Y0, registration G-FCLK, arrived at Gatwick Airport following a delayed flight from London Stansted. While the aircraft was at the stand and a jet-bridge was attached to the forward left door, the incoming commander identified a hydraulic leak above the left main landing gear. The leaking fluid was dripping onto the warm brakes, resulting in the production of smoke.
To ensure passenger safety, the commander decided to perform a rapid disembarkation. He made an announcement via the public address system regarding the smoke and instructed passengers to clear the aircraft. During this process, a passenger seated near the rear right emergency exit (door 3R) opened the door, causing the emergency slide to deploy. This resulted in an unplanned evacuation of a portion of the passengers via the slide. While 5 passengers sustained minor injuries, no one was hospitalised, and there was no damage to the aircraft.
The investigation
The AAIB examined the sequence of events, the effectiveness of the crew's communications, and the mechanical cause of the leak. Investigators reviewed the aircraft's flight recorders, though the cockpit voice recorder did not capture the specific PA announcements as the conversations occurred outside the microphone's range.
The investigation also looked into the airline's standard operating procedures (SOPs) for rapid disembarkation and the positioning of cabin crew. Additionally, engineers inspected the landing gear component to determine the source of the hydraulic failure.