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13th Jul 2018

Plane plunges 21,000ft as vaping co-pilot sends aircraft into “rapid emergency descent”

Kate Demolder

Netflix smoking

Looks like vapes aren’t always the safest option…

An Air China staff member has been accused of putting a flight in danger after taking a puff of his vape while flying the aircraft.

The co-pilot has been accused of sending the plane he was flying into a “rapid emergency descent”, as the vapour from his e-cigarette depleted oxygen levels on board.

The plane plunged 6,500m (21,000ft) as a result of the levels dropping in the cabin on Tuesday. The aircraft later returned to cruising altitude.

According to investigators, the co-pilot caused the plane to drop when he attempted to turn off the fan in a bid to stop the vape aerosol reaching the passenger cabin.

He went on to make this attempt without previously informing the captain – and accidentally shut off the plane’s air conditioning while doing so.

According to the BBC, passengers were told to fasten their seat belts as the plane had to descend.

Should a plane lose cabin pressure, the pilot must bring the aircraft to a lower altitude to ensure crew and passengers safety.

The flight went on to land in Dalian without incident, but officials are reportedly investigating the incident “in greater detail,” reviewing the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder for more information.

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