TOULOUSE, France — Airbus said an A330 widebody in test flight underwent sudden depressurization, causing seven people to lose consciousness. Two remain hospitalized.
The flight was a test of the twin-engine widebody in advance of the aircraft’s delivery to Air Mauritius, spokeswoman Barbara Kracht said.
Ten people were on board. Three pilots in the cockpit donned oxygen masks when the depressurization occurred while seven other people walking around the back of the plane, performing tests, briefly lost consciousness when the pressure fell.
“The decompression was fairly rapid,” Kracht said.
She said the pilot pulled the plane quickly to a level where people could breathe. All seven passengers who passed out were brought to a hospital for checks, and five were released. Two more were staying overnight for “observation,” she said, adding that there were no serious injuries.
The incident comes six days after a four-engine A340 widebody plane built for Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways was damaged during a ground engine test. Bloomberg News
