SQ A380 Emergency Landing in Baku.

[Montague S]

https://www.facebook.com/singaporeai...52165611728679

A/C lost pressure and diverted to Baku. Passengers awaiting new a/c for continuation of journey.

[Grahame Hutchison]

Passenger account ...

[Ryan N]

http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-...107-30efl.html

""We limped back to Azerbaijan at 10,000 feet trying to avoid the nearby mountains."

Typical Hero passenger comment.

[Scott L.]

We really have become quite intolerant of inconvenience and more demanding of being compensated,according to those stories by some passengers. Very few pleased?

[Philip Argy]

If it's true that the compromised door seal was apparent as the aircraft climbed, and that this was drawn to the crew's attention, then that does reflect poorly on their training - if it was apparent to a passenger it should have been apparent to the crew, and should have been escalated to the flight deck.

The decreased pressurisation rate should also have been apparent from the instruments, so it's surprising that the a/c continued to climb if the passenger's story that the sound of the inadequate door seal was plain is accurate.

[Max C]

I doubt the crew would know about a decreased pressurisation rate. I don't know about Airbus, but in the Turboprop I fly, if one of the doors is leaking, the outflow valve in the rear auto closes to ensure that the cabin rate remains the same for the phase of flight.

Unless the leak was greater than the pressurisation system could 'pump up' the cabin, there would be no indication of any fault.

[David Knudsen]

I like the headline that Brisbane Times has decided to run with on the front page of their site;

'I am about to die': A380 fears
Aussie passengers tell of terror after Singapore Airlines jumbo lost cabin pressure.

[Hugh Jarse]

Exactly right, Max.

Pressurisation systems are designed to provide plenty of excess airflow to compensate for cabin leaks - whether it is leaking seals or just an old aeroplane. All aircraft have a cabin leak rate, even new ones, as it's virtually impossible to have a perfectly sealed cabin. As time goes by and the aircraft leak rate increases, the outflow valve closes more to compensate. The pilots have no direct indication of cabin leak rate or pressurisation system health.

Sure, the seal may have been leaking during the climb, but once the differential reached a certain point the compromised seal may have been unable to maintain the increased differential pressure and just let go, or just deflated (if it's an inflated seal).

All crew are trained to check the pressurisation during the climb, but not necessarily constantly. That's why the systems are automatic, and the cabin altitude warning system is fitted.

[Philip Argy]

But if a passenger expressly draws the crew's attention to a noisy leaking seal, surely even the moist laid back crew would report that to the cockpit, or check it themselves more assiduously?