Video of Air Dolomiti ATR fire at weekend

Tom
The ATR is a bit different to most aircraft. The front two exits are type 3 exits, the small type you normally get overwing on bigger aircraft. No slides on an ATR as they are so low to the ground anyway. Yes you would normally expect just the side not on fire to be used but it depends on what the cabin crew saw and how they viewed it at the time. The pax initially did move to the front of the aircraft from these exits. That may well have been the best option rather than hold them up going out of the right hand side or walking back through the aircraft to the main door at the rear and therefore passing the area of the fire. I can’t put my hands on an ATR safety card at the moment and I haven’t been near an ATR for a few years now but I seem to recall that is the correct procedure.
Down the back is a different story. On the right of the aircraft is a very small odd catering/baggage door which is not very suitable to get people out in a hurry.
The only main door with stairs is at the rear and on the left. Therefore if no fire is immediately obvious outside of this door it is very appropriate to use this one as you will evacuate alot of people very quickly via this door. Clearly the crew gave instructions to the pax as they again moved away to the rear of the aircraft initially.
I can’t see clearly on the video but I think there were two cabin crew however there may only have been one, I used to do single crew flights. This makes it very difficult to control everyone.
On any aircraft it normally makes sense to get an able bodied person off first to help other pax and to keep the cabin crew on board as long as possible to aid the evacuation and to try and ensure no one is left behind.
There’s no accounting for the public at incidents like this. From what I can make out the crew and fire department did a good job of getting people out and under control as fast as possible.
Had that ever happened to me I would have been very happy with the outcome as seen on the video.

Cheers – a very comprehensive reply! 🙂

Tom
The ATR is a bit different to most aircraft. The front two exits are type 3 exits, the small type you normally get overwing on bigger aircraft. No slides on an ATR as they are so low to the ground anyway. Yes you would normally expect just the side not on fire to be used but it depends on what the cabin crew saw and how they viewed it at the time. The pax initially did move to the front of the aircraft from these exits. That may well have been the best option rather than hold them up going out of the right hand side or walking back through the aircraft to the main door at the rear and therefore passing the area of the fire. I can’t put my hands on an ATR safety card at the moment and I haven’t been near an ATR for a few years now but I seem to recall that is the correct procedure.
Down the back is a different story. On the right of the aircraft is a very small odd catering/baggage door which is not very suitable to get people out in a hurry.
The only main door with stairs is at the rear and on the left. Therefore if no fire is immediately obvious outside of this door it is very appropriate to use this one as you will evacuate alot of people very quickly via this door. Clearly the crew gave instructions to the pax as they again moved away to the rear of the aircraft initially.
I can’t see clearly on the video but I think there were two cabin crew however there may only have been one, I used to do single crew flights. This makes it very difficult to control everyone.
On any aircraft it normally makes sense to get an able bodied person off first to help other pax and to keep the cabin crew on board as long as possible to aid the evacuation and to try and ensure no one is left behind.
There’s no accounting for the public at incidents like this. From what I can make out the crew and fire department did a good job of getting people out and under control as fast as possible.
Had that ever happened to me I would have been very happy with the outcome as seen on the video.

Still, I do like how some of the people exiting from the plane are just casually walking past/near the fire 🙂 Certified as a ‘contained fire’ or not, I wouldn’t be taking any risks!

The only safe brake fire is a distant brake fire. I never eaven linger around a hot gear during a transit check.

Rgds Cking

Is it just me or are they evacuating out of the side where the fire is? I always thought that you were always told on the safety card to use the exit on the opposite side to the emergency. Or maybe there was another fire on the otherside that we can’t see on the video.

I also find it strange that at least one of the cabin crew didn’t disembark first in order to control the passengers, who don’t seem to know what to do.

Still, I do like how some of the people exiting from the plane are just casually walking past/near the fire 🙂 Certified as a ‘contained fire’ or not, I wouldn’t be taking any risks!

’twas shown on the ITV news at 10:45 last evening.

One of those “non events” that they suddenly focus on as a consequence of the recent Madrid tragedy :(.

Yes, it’s a potential emergency, and yes it was no doubt worrying for the passengers, but as airliners have to withstand/survive an undercarriage fire without further damage for a finite period as part of the certification process events like this border on scaremongering by the media.

Paul F