Experts Contacted By Passengers Onboard Aborted Flight To Manchester

Aviation law experts at Irwin Mitchell are calling for answers over apparent technical problems which forced a Thomson Boeing 767-300 flight to abort the flight and return to Male Airport shortly after take-off in March.

Flight BY-189 was departing from the airport in the Maldives to Manchester on March 28th 2012 when the aircraft’s climb was stopped due to technical problems.  It is reported that fuel was then dumped to reduce weight but, notwithstanding this, the aircraft landed very heavily causing injuries.

Reports indicate that more than 200 people were on board the flight and Irwin Mitchell’s aviation law team have been asked to assist by a passenger who has revealed a number of concerns about conditions on board the plane during the take-off.

Jim Morris, a former RAF pilot and Partner who acts for those affected by air incidents in the UK and abroad, said: “We are very concerned to hear an account of the incident indicating that water was pouring out of overhead compartments and that it felt like there was simply not enough power to get the aircraft off the ground during the takeoff run.  There was obviously something seriously wrong with the aircraft as the flight was aborted and, if fuel was dumped, thousands of pounds worth of aviation fuel were lost so that it could land without exceeding its normal landing weight.

"So that lessons can be learned, this incident needs to be investigated thoroughly to identify what the in-flight fault was and why the aircraft landed so heavily.   As such, we ask that the airline and other parties investigating this incident do so promptly and publish their findings so that flight safety can be improved and so that the passengers can understand what caused their terrifying ordeal."