A passenger got stuck inside the lavatory of a Boeing 737. Unable to get out for over an hour, crew tried to assist, but they couldn’t get him free. Instead, they passed him a note that sealed his fate: “Sir, we tried.”
Sir we tried our best to open the door. However we could not open. Do not panic, we are landing in a few mins, so please close the comode lid and sit on it and secure urself. As soon as the main door is open engineer will come. Do not panic.
Crew on board SpiceJet 268 from Mumbai to Bangalore did their best, but the passenger remained in the lavatory all the way to the gate. The man was told to sit on the toilet for landing.
As soon as the flight took off, a passenger from seat no 14D went to the toilet but could not step out as the door failed to open, sources said. The crew and other passengers tried to help open the door from outside but failed in their attempts.
Fortunately it’s just a 519 mile flight, blocked at 85 minutes, however he was in the lavatory for nearly all of it.
Once the plane arrived at its destination in the middle of the night, an airline mechanic responded to the plane and got the door unjammed. Medical staff responded as well, because I guess the fumes from being in a SpiceJet lavatory that long are a health risk?
According to the airline,
On 16 January, a passenger unfortunately got stuck inside the lavatory for about an hour on SpiceJet flight operating from Mumbai to Bengaluru, while the aircraft was airborne due to a malfunction in the door lock. Throughout the journey, our crew provided assistance and guidance to the passenger. Upon arrival, an engineer opened the lavatory door, and the passenger received immediate medical support. SpiceJet regrets and apologises for the inconvenience caused to the passenger. The passenger is being provided a full refund.
This is more common than you’d think. United once had to divert to Denver to rescue a passenger stuck in the lavatory, and American had to cancel a flight because a passenger went to the bathroom before the flight and got stuck inside. Meanwhile, an American flight attendant locked a woman and her toddler in a lavatory during a flight, claiming they were terrorists (they weren’t).
The best advice is to go to the bathroom prior to boarding. Then you probably won’t need to go on an 85 minute flight. That would be a huge cost savings for airlines, too, so it’s strange they don’t promote it more. It takes weight off of the aircraft, which then burn less fuel.
Best reason I have read to not let passenger go to the restroom before taking off. It also looks like seatbelts for the commodes have been overlooked.
India will be India .
If you are so big you get stuck in an airplane restroom that is a “you problem” and not reflective of the airline. Sorry but lay off the food for a while
i took indigo flight on that route last year. the only thing that was offered was free water from a large jug. you have to buy bottled water or juice or whatever you need on your own. I bought a a small fruit juice and the crew told me it is 250 rupee. 10 mins later, she came back and told me she was wrong and it is 350 rupee. I asked why two different prices, the young crew told me she was mistaken, showed me their price from a menu and apologized profusely. I took her apology and ignored it and assured her I am fine, no problem, not your fault.
I guess he now understands the true meaning of the word INDIA…
“I’ll Never Do That Again”
Picard
Personally, I think it stinks.
Go Before You Go
New definition of throne seat.
Damn, I thought it was going to be about the lavatory being too small.
Such a kind, polite note! I’d rather be stuck there than in US3 coach seats lol.
Safety first. I wonder if the flight crew should have warned a potentially thirsty passenger stuck in the aircraft lavatory to not drink the blue juice from the toilet.
What a crappy experience for that passenger. I’m sure it wiped away amy desire to fly with SpiceJet again.
The passenger was experiencing the Indian Mile High Club in Indian Business Class
Needless to say, I would not have handled this well. Definitely would be on a no fly list after things were said and done.
@me Would Love to be a fly on the wall if that occured…
@AC – The article clearly says the lock malfunctioned. It had nothing to do with the size of the passenger. Never assume.
But, did SpiceJet try to charge the passenger for the extra seat room in the lav? I suspect it had a few more cm than SpiceJet’s standard coach seat.
@ Picard
INDTA?