A British Airways flight was forced to make an emergency landing after toxic fumes were indicated on board which caused the co-pilot to become incapacitated.
According to the Daily Mail, the BA Boeing 777 was carrying 158 passengers from Heathrow to Philadelphia when it had to make an emergency landing in Goose Bay, Newfoundland in Canada. Halfway through the eight hour flight, toxic oil fumes started to cause eye and throat irritation.
About half an hour after the fumes started to affect him, the co-pilot started feeling nauseous and became incapacitated. Both the captain and the first officer had to wear oxygen masks so that they could land the plane.
This incident comes just a few weeks after two British Airways pilots died after they complained about being exposed to toxic oil fumes during passenger flights.
Richard Westgate, 43, asked his lawyers to sue British Airways for safety and health violations. He died a few days later. Fellow pilot Karen Lysakowska, 43, died a few days after Westgate.
Both of the pilots said they were poisoned by fumes which contaminated the cabin. Pilots have to wear oxygen masks regularly due to this issue. Civil Aviation Authority records show that pilots and crew members use oxygen masks at least five times a week to avoid fume poisoning.
Even though Westgate passed away, his lawyers are pursuing the case to "'give him the trial he never got," the Daily Mail notes. They will continue to sue the airline and expose them for these unhealthy practices.
The lawyers claim that they're on the brink of proving that "aerotoxic syndrome" exists. This chronic physical and neurological condition could impact thousands of pilots who are unable to fight the illness.
The plane in this recent incident also make an emergency landing in October 2009 because five passengers fainted or got sick due to fumes. However British Airways denies that there is a link between these two incidents.
"Safety is always our top priority and the captain took the right decision to divert. We are sorry our customers' journey was delayed," a British Airways spokesperson said in regards to the latest issue.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
