A Bali-bound flight was forced to turn around mid-flight and return to Guangzhou’s Baiyun International Airport last week after crew discovered its cabin door was not completely closed, according to Southern Metropolis Daily.
The incident occurred last Wednesday, February 22, at 3am aboard Sriwijaya Air flight 1159.
The Southern Metropolis Daily article claims the plane turned around an hour and a half into the five-hour journey, after the captain discovered a problem with the aircraft’s cabin doors. This is contradicted by a confusing South China Morning Post account that claims the aircraft “had to turn back to Guangzhou about three hours into the flight, however, after the plane’s captain found a problem with its cabin doors an hour and a half after taking off.”
We are inclined to trust the Southern Metropolis Daily’s account of the events, because 1) they are the main source in the SCMP story, 2) the aircraft reportedly landed back in Guangzhou at 6am (consistent with a turn-around time of an hour and a half into the flight) and 3) what kind of pilot discovers a problem an hour and a half into a trip and doesn’t turn around until the three hour mark? (The answer to #3 is: a pilot we hope never to fly with.)
“When the captain found the problem, he decided to return immediately,” a Sriwijaya Air representative told Guangdong TV.
Regardless of when the flight turned back, it landed safely and all 180 passengers were accounted for – although 21 of them refused to re-board the plane when tests and repairs were completed.
Sriwijaya Air flight 1159 took off again at 10.38am and landed in Bali without issue at 3.39pm.
Of note next time you book a flight, Sriwijaya Air struggles with one of the lowest safety ratings on AirlineRatings.com – two out of seven stars.
READ MORE: 4 Chinese Airlines Listed Among the Worst in the World
[Images via South China Morning Post]
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