F70, vicinity Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, 2023

F70, vicinity Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, 2023

Summary

On 20 February 2023, a Fokker 70 flight crew realised, late into descent, that the landing altitude for their destination, Port Moresby, had not been set. With insufficient time to eliminate the cabin pressure differential automatically, they attempted to use manual control. When it became clear this had not worked, a go-around was initiated. When the cabin pressure differential then rose rapidly to six psi, multiple passenger ear/nose/throat injuries resulted, some serious. Another abnormal procedure was then actioned, and this resolved the situation and the aircraft was able to land.

Description

On 20 February 2023, a Fokker 70 (P2-ANT) operated by Air Niugini on a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Port Moresby to Mount Hagen and unable to make an approach on reaching destination was returning to Port Moresby. Only when performing a routine descent check at 10,000 feet was it realised that the landing altitude had not been reset from that for Mount Hagen. An attempt to rectify the problem quickly resulted in mismanagement of the pressurisation control system and serious injury to four occupants and minor injuries to eighteen others.

Investigation      

An investigation into the accident was carried out by the Papua New Guinea Accident Investigation Commission (AIC). Relevant data from the solid-state flight data recorder (SSFDR) was successfully downloaded but data from the solid-state cockpit voice recorder (SSCVR) had been overwritten because it had not been electrically isolated after flight.

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