Incident Details
On Friday, 10 December 2021, at approximately 13:25 local time, passengers began disembarking from Boeing 737-8AS aircraft, registration EI-DLH, via its forward stairs after landing at Santiago Airport (La Coruña, Spain). The aircraft had arrived from Valencia Airport. As a passenger descended the staircase, he fell from the last three steps. He was carrying a suitcase in one hand and a coat in the other. The passenger landed face down, with the lower half of his body on the stairs and the upper half on the apron.
Injuries
The passenger sustained abrasions on the palms of both hands, his right knee, and nose, as well as cuts on his nose and lips. Airport personnel requested assistance from a nurse, but none were available. An ambulance arrived approximately 30 minutes later and transported the passenger to a hospital, where he received stitches for his cuts. The injuries were classified as minor.
Aircraft and Operator
The aircraft was a Boeing 737-8AS, serial number 33590, manufactured in 2005 and registered in Ireland under Ryanair Designated Activity Company since 6 March 2006. It had two CFM56-7B26 engines. The aircraft's airworthiness certificate and review certificate were valid at the time. The crew comprised two flight crew and four cabin crew.
The forward stairs on this aircraft type are retractable and have handrails on each side, with narrower steps and thinner, lighter handrails compared to external stairs.
Cause
The investigation determined that the cause of the incident was the passenger descending the stairs with a suitcase in one hand and a coat in the other, which was not in accordance with the operator's disembarkation instructions. The report noted four prior similar incidents involving Ryanair Boeing 737 aircraft in Spain, one of which led to an investigation due to injury severity.