Passengers aboard an Air India Boeing 787 flying from Delhi to Hong Kong experienced a tense moment mid-flight on June 1 after one of the aircraft’s doors began making strange noises. The door was reportedly hissing and growling, forcing flight attendants to take quick action to reassure passengers and keep the flight on schedule, reports TOI.
What happened on the Air India Boeing 787?
About an hour into the flight, passengers noticed the unsettling sound. According to a passenger’s account posted on social media, “The door started shaking and making noises. It seemed the door seal came off due to air pressure.” Flight attendants quickly stuffed paper napkins into the small gap at the top of the door to muffle the sound and pressed on it to quieten the noise. Fortunately, the flight, which was delayed at its departure and took off at 11:45 PM from Delhi, continued without further incident and landed safely in Hong Kong.
Not the first time
This was not the first time a Boeing 787 had a door noise issue mid-flight. In 2019, Japan Airlines experienced a similar issue and diverted its plane back to Tokyo. German carrier TUI Airlines and American Airlines also faced comparable problems in 2022. In all three past cases, pilots decided to return to the airport of origin for safety checks after hearing growling noises at the door.
The Boeing 787 series itself has been under scrutiny following a crash in Ahmedabad on June 12 that killed 275 people. However, pilots and safety experts point out that such noises pose minimal safety risk as the doors cannot open mid-flight due to pressure differences.
What Air India said?
Air India promptly responded to the incident. In its statement, the airline assured that all safety protocols were followed. “After hearing the sound mid-flight, flight attendants took action after assessing that there was no safety risk,” said Air India. Upon landing in Hong Kong, the engineering team thoroughly inspected the aircraft and found all safety parameters in compliance. The return flight from Hong Kong to Delhi did not report any similar issue.
Why do these sounds happen?
The noises were caused by air escaping through a small gap in the door seal. At cruising altitude, the aircraft cabin is pressurised at around 6,000 feet, while the outside air pressure is vastly lower, especially at 40,000 feet. Even the slightest gap can cause a hissing sound as pressurised air seeks to escape.
Boeing 787 doors are designed to swing outward and then slide forward to close. Unlike other Boeing models like the 777, which have manually operated doors, the 787 uses a plug-type door sealed electronically into the fuselage. Occasionally, minor wear and tear or maintenance errors can lead to small gaps.
What investigations revealed?
Public reports show that minor door noises on Boeing 787s have caused other diversions too. In 2022, American Airlines had to return a Paris-bound flight due to fumes suspected to come from a door. Similarly, TUI Airlines experienced loud noises due to a damaged door seal. Investigators found that none of these incidents involved any cabin decompression or serious safety issue.
According to experts quoted by Times of India, this kind of leak can happen if a door seal is slightly out of place or old but it is not a threat to flight safety.