2007 Pilatus PC-12-45 cabin pressurization incident (EC-JFO)

Incident Overview and Flight Details On 24 October 2007, a Pilatus PC-12-45 with registration EC-JFO was operating a private IFR flight from Buochs to Sabadell. The aircraft was operated by Norestair, S.L., and was privately owned. At approximately 10:15 UTC, while climbing through FL220 toward FL270 between the waypoints BENOT and MILPA, the crew identified a cabin pressurization problem. The cabin differential pressure indicated about 3 PSI instead of the expected maximum of 5.75 PSI, and the cabin altitude was rising at about 1,500 ft/min. ## Crew Actions and Diversion The pilot in command ordered oxygen masks to be worn, and the cabin pressure warning became active. The crew requested an emergency descent and was vectored by air traffic control. After initially considering Zurich, the crew selected Geneva-Cointrin as the diversion airport. The aircraft descended and landed on runway 05 at 10:43 UTC. Two crew members were on board, and there were no injuries or fatalities. ## Maintenance and Probable Cause The incident occurred after an annual inspection at the manufacturer. The investigation attributed the serious incident to a failure in the pressurization system. A contributing factor was that the checklist used by the crew did not include a check item for monitoring cabin altitude during climb. Subsequent maintenance found that the engine compartment bleed air hose was not properly secured, and after correction the system was found to be functioning.