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Cabin pressure in Jet flight drops as pilots fail to switch on APU
July 10, 2015

As many as 111 passengers on board a Jet Airways flight from Leh to Delhi had to face breathing problem momentarily as the pilots allegedly failed to switch on the auxiliary power unit which led to drop in cabin pressure.

The airline had grounded the commander and the first officer, who were operating the flight, till a probe by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation was over, sources said, adding that acting tough, the civil aviation regulator had withdrawn the trainership of the commander.

The incident took place on July 7, when Jet Airways flight 9W-2369 from Leh was getting ready to depart for Delhi. The pilots allegedly forgot to switch on the APU, which is mandatory for flights operating from Leh, resulting in sudden drop in cabin air pressure which led to deployment of oxygen masks for the passengers, they said.

When contacted, a Jet Airways spokesperson confirmed the grounding of the two pilots but did not comment on the DGCA action against the commander. "The matter is currently under DGCA investigation. As per standard procedure, the crew (does not undertake flying duties) to facilitate the investigation," the spokesperson said in a statement.
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