A Vueling captain has been accused of pulling a “Costa Concordia” after a fire broke out on an Airbus A320 aircraft and he was first to scamper off the aircraft, with the flight crew following behind him. With the exception of one flight attendant, a passenger onboard claims he and his fellow passengers were left to fend for themselves. This is a very serious charge.
Passengers Claim Captain Pulled A “Costa Concordia” After Fire Broke Out Onboard Airbus A320
This incident occurred on July 21, 2022 onboard Vueling flight VY8754, which was scheduled to operate from Barcelona (BCN) to Birmingham (BHX). Vueling is a Spanish low-cost carrier and part of the International Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG) which includes British Airways and Iberia.
The “Costa Concordia” refers to the 2012 Italian cruise ship disaster in which Captain Francesco Schettino abandoned ship, leaving 300 passengers to fend for themselves after the cruise ship struck a rock and began to sink. 32 people died.
Here’s how passenger Andrew Benion described the incident to the UK Sun:
“Suddenly there was this huge bang and smell of burning smoke coming from the back of the plane. All the lights went off and the emergency lights came on – it was terrifying.
“Next thing the stewards start go into meltdown, running up and down aisle – first, telling everyone to keep belts on, then to tell everyone to take their belts off.
“One ran into the cockpit to tell the captain. Then as soon as a stewardess opened the front door the captain ran straight off. He was just gone. He was first off the plane. He did a full Costa Concordia.
“You’ve never seen anything like it. If we weren’t all so frightened it would have been complete comedy. His door opened, then the side door opened and bang – he was just gone. Then all his crew ran off after him and left us all.
“There was only one stewardess left on the plane and you could see the fear on her face. She started screaming for everyone to get off. The Spanish person next to us translated and said, ‘The plane is on fire’.
“We couldn’t believe the captain just left us like that – he was running off to safety and we were all sat there like lemmings.”
Another passenger has corroborated his testimony.
Those are very serious charges against the captain and really against the entire flight crew.
When I heard this account, my first thought was the captain ran off the plane to see if there was a visible fire or he could see any other damage. Vueling now claims this is what happened (though it was the first officer who ran off).
On 21 July 2022, a small external fire was detected on flight VY8754 scheduled to depart from Barcelona to Birmingham at 11.55. The security protocols were initiated immediately and all passengers and crew were quickly disembarked from the aircraft and moved onto an alternative aircraft following a passport control check.
The flight subsequently took off from Barcelona at 15.07. All passengers and crew were unharmed. Our captain remained at the cabin controlling the situation and our First Officer went outside to check the incident with airport managers and different airport people that were helping and following protocols.
This strikes me as a much more reasonable explanation of what happened, though I cannot explain why all but one flight attendant would rush off. But Benion insists the crew deserted the aircraft, leaving one flight attendant to evacuate the entire aircraft.
CONCLUSION
The idea that the captain goes down with the ship may be more aeronautical lore than legal requirement, but the optics of this situation are bad…if the passenger account is accurate. What’s missing seems to be communication…and in the case of a disaster, the most assuring thing (even in the midst of an evacuation) is a strong but re-assuring word from the captain.
image: John Taggart / Wikimedia Commons
For what it’s worth our procedures in the event of an evacuation require that once the Captain gives the evacuation command the First Officer will immediately exit the aircraft and take command of the situation outside. The Captain stays onboard until he is certain everyone is off and should be the last person to leave the aircraft.
And here I thought crews were also first responders and solely on board, “For Our safety?”
I imagine the aftermath went something like this:
“I was trying to lead the way. We needed a leader! Someone to lead the way to safety.”
“But you yelled, “Get out of my way”!”
“Because… Because… As the leader, if I die, then all hope is lost! Who would lead? The clown? Instead of castigating me, you should all be thanking me. What kind of a topsy-turvy world do we live in, where heroes are cast as villains? Brave men as cowards?”
I corroborate with 121Pilot. At my airline, the First Officer is always first off as soon as the first door is open and down the slide (or down the stairs, jetbridge) in the event of an evacuation, in order to control the passengers once they have evacuated. Captain is last off. However, my airline, if a Crewmember (flight attendant) feels like their own safety is at risk, they are told to bail.
” if a Crewmember (flight attendant) feels like their own safety is at risk, they are told to bail.”…….so the whole “There only for your safety” bit is complete bullshit????? you don’t say….
It’s a fair question, though I’d ask you to watch your language please.
sorry :(….I haven’t even started drinking yet.
You’re just a really funny guy CHRIS. Just a real winner in my book. I’m sure your wife is very proud how you speak about other people out trying to make a living. Feel proud young man.
To be fair only US Flight attendants use the “we are here only for your safety” so they can spend the entire flight in the galley, moaning about their job and life in general
THOMAS same to you. Feel proud you like to put down people who go to work. People like you should be proud sitting around all day doing nothing but drawing the ole unemployment check.
I certainly hope it wasn’t women and children first as in old times. Women should act like people with equal responsibility.
In any tragedy there should be equal number of fatalities amongst both the sexes, or perhaps more among women as they are weaker. Any time there are more male fatalities you can bet all the feminazis didn’t complain too loudly about the “inequality”.
ummmm what is a “woman”?
The title of the article sounds a bit clickbaity, especially since hmthe captain did not run out first as was first implied. Slow news day?
You are accepting the Vueling statement. The passenger says otherwise.
How would the passenger know if he’s the Captain or the First Officer?
“Next thing the stewards start go into meltdown, running up and down aisle – first, telling everyone to keep belts on, then to tell everyone to take their belts off.” What a joke!! It is clear that FAs are no longer there for our safety. They became entitled and want to use their power to decide the fate of passengers based on their mood that day. Don’t like a shirt? You are out? Don’t like how I look? You are out? Safety? No way!!! They will be the first ones to panic.
200 cops waited out in the hallway drinking coffee while a lone gunman slaughtered dozens of kids in a classroom, so flight attendants aren’t exactly the worst of the “there for your safety” hypocrites. I bet if their donut supply was under threat they would have busted in there in seconds.
Can’t trust anyone but yourself
Can’t trust anyone but yourself
There you go. You beginning to talk like a conservative.
@Billy Bob/ I feel sorry for you. Your life is miserable and hope you can find the help you need.
You’re the one with the axe to grind against the lovely flight attendants who have been nothing but kind to me through my life. I just don’t like cops that allow school children to be slaughtered while they read Dr. Seuss.
I think my exasperation is more valid
Santastico, you’re out! Can you get any more miserable than you sound?
Its 2022 and there was no passenger video if the whole incident? Unbelievable
This happened in Europe, not the US. That’s why.
If the fire is too hot?, the water too deep? or the smoke too thick? Get out !!
Common phrasing in FA Manual.
Seriously?
I think so: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/when-fire-too-hot-smoke-thick-water-deep-get-out-ruth-granton-egan
C’mon—the principle that the Captain goes down with his ship was coined and practiced centuries before the Wright Brothers. That said, I concur with the previous posters’ descriptions of the protocols for the Captain and First Officer in these scenarios.
Yet Captain Sully stayed until the last person was out, even surveying the entire plane to make sure at the end. I am ok with what you say, but no more passes to FA’s saying that they are there “for our safety.” They are there to serve me a cocktail and a decent dinner. And answer my call button without me feeling guilty or them rolling their eyes.
Sully brought that plane down to throw his laptop in the river because he was told to turn it in for a new one upon arrival. Obviously there was something on there he didn’t want found.
True story, I heard it on Opie & Anthony on SiriusXM right after it happened. I never saw a denial published anywhere.
Face it Stuart. You hate flight attendants. End of story. You’re a Big Bully. You insult them left and right. Every third article on here you insult them. We have great jobs, great families, great friends, great neighbors and then we have to sit around and read articles with stupid bullying comments such as yours. I feel sorry for the United flight attendants that now have to deal with you. You’re miserable. You need some happy in your life. Geesh!
Ok, call button eye rolling first responder.
You don’t know me but you sit and make a generalized statements about EVERY flight attendant. I am a great flight attendant and have done a great job all these years. That’s like saying ALL my premium passengers are total idiots and mean as hec. I have had many great and absolutely wonderful passengers and then there’s people like you. How about in the future you actually sit and take down the names of the ones that truly aren’t doing their job and report them? That would be the right thing to do and not sit around and make the rest of us feel like crap when we’re out here trying to make a living doing our jobs well. Seriously. Start your list. I have had poor service from many different companies all around the world but I don’t group their employees into one bucket. That’s so immature. Makes me think you are 15 living in mommy’s basement.
I wish I was 15 and living in my parents basement. Alas, clearly, I am instead living in your head.
And you would be surprised how nice I am to those who love doing their job. Maybe even you.
Captain Sully personified the highest level of professionalism and courage by ensuring that everyone was safely off the aircraft before was satisfied that that was the case. A great hero in my book, but he would have said he was only doing his job.