A TUI flight attendant was left seriously injured after plunging from a plane door in a shocking accident at East Midlands Airport.
The senior crew member, who had more than 36 years’ experience, was closing the aircraft’s front door on December 16, 2024, when she placed her left foot on the steps. But the steps were pushed away from the aircraft before the door was shut. Despite trying to cling onto the door, she fell through the gap to the ground below, breaking multiple bones.
She required extensive treatment and a long recovery period, according to a report released by the Air Accident Investigations Branch (AAIB) on Thursday. The accident happened as the delayed flight was preparing to depart for Lanzarote, Spain.
Investigators found that step removal began even though the aircraft door remained open. The primary dispatcher was still at the top of the stairs to hand paperwork to the flight crew, and managed to hang onto the side rail to avoid falling himself. In total, three dispatchers and four ramp staff were involved.
The AAIB said: "It was not clear who had responsibility for checking that the aircraft door was closed and steps were clear." One dispatcher was already at the bottom of the steps, another had just come off them, when ramp staff wrongly assumed the door was closed and began retracting the stabiliser legs. Two ramp agents then pushed the steps away rapidly.
The report revealed one ramp worker looked up and thought the door was shut because no light was visible inside. He released the steps’ handbrake and pushed them away — only to hear a shout to stop and turn around to find the cabin door open and the attendant lying injured on the ramp.
The AAIB found the fall was linked to a "procedural workaround" used at EMA and other UK airports. Dispatchers had been closing doors despite not being qualified to do so, while ramp staff stood beneath the platform ready to move the steps. "The practice was so commonplace that even those who were aware it was not allowed did not see a need to challenge it or report it as a safety concern," the AAIB said. It added: "The step removal process was conducted in a way that was not consistent with the written policy and had insufficient safeguards to prevent movement of the steps with people on them or the door still open." The workaround had been in place "for many years" without being flagged during audits.
A report by EMA found air traffic control did not initially realise the seriousness of the incident, triggering a lower emergency response than required.
A spokesperson for East Midlands Airport said: "East Midlands Airport has supported the AAIB and other regulatory bodies throughout this investigation. Our involvement in the incident was limited to Air Traffic Control initiating a call-out to our Fire Service, which attended as First Responders. East Midlands Airport has robust emergency procedures in place, and these were followed during the incident.
“The report acknowledges that while our Fire Service could have arrived sooner had the pilot declared an emergency, the response time ultimately made little difference in this case. We remain fully committed to working collaboratively with all operators on the airport to help prevent a similar incident from happening in the future. We extend our best wishes to the cabin crew member who was injured and sincerely hope they have made a full recovery."
The AAIB said both the ground handling company and operator had taken steps since the accident. "After the accident the ground handling company issued a safety alert setting out that only qualified ramp staff are to interact with the steps and that dispatchers are not permitted to position or retract the side rails or adjust the stabilisers," it said. The company has also introduced new procedures requiring dispatchers to attend pre-turnaround team briefings so all ramp staff know who is responsible for each role.
