What Happens To Plane After Passenger Accident?

Indy · Fri Dec 23, 2011 10:20 pm

What happens to a plane after a passenger has one form of of an accident or another during flight? I was on a Delta flight from MCO to ATL last night and shortly before landing a kid blew chunks all over the aisle. The flight attendants attempted to cover the mishap with blankets to allow the rest of the passengers to deplane. What happens to the plane after everyone is off? Does the normal cleaning crew take care of this or is the plane moved to maintenance because this is considered a bio hazard? My flight arrived at a "B" gate and I went to the Sky Club in the "A" concourse and I thought I saw the plane I was on being pushed back and then taken away by a tug. But I could be wrong.

It was nasty btw. I'd like to thank the FA for a good laugh. She gets on the PA system and warns passengers deplaning to be careful upon exit. She says "due to a large amount of (pauses) throw up in the aisle". I guess she couldn't find a better word or phrase for it.

safetyDemo · Fri Dec 23, 2011 10:24 pm

Depending on what exactly happened, it is usually cleaned by the ground crew who handle disinfecting the area. In some instances, you might see seat cushions replaced entirely, etc. It just depends on the circumstances. For things like passengers getting sick and throwing up, I've never seen an airplane pulled out of service. Its actually quite common and doesn't take long to clean up during the turn.

Indy · Fri Dec 23, 2011 11:27 pm

Thanks for the info. I didn't realize it was all that common. Of all the times I've flown in my life this was the first time I had seen this happen. I'm sure people have gotten sick. I just never saw it all over an aisle.

safetyDemo · Sat Dec 24, 2011 12:37 am

Quoting Indy (Reply 2):
I just never saw it all over an aisle.

It is one of the more common occurrences we deal with in the air as flight attendants, and that ground crew would deal with cleaning up. I can recall some particularly turbulent flights where the ground crew just knew (based on the day they'd been having) it was necessary to show up to the aircraft, without being asked, with supplies in hand to clean up after sick passengers and also a stock of air sick bags to replace those that had been used. It is truly never boring working in this industry. That's part of the reason I love it so much.

skoker · Sat Dec 24, 2011 5:24 pm

Believe it or not, things like vomit and feces and urine are NOT classified as biohazards, much to my dismay, at least at Delta.

Only blood, or the abovementioned fluids with blood or evidence of blood in them.

Skydrol · Sat Dec 24, 2011 6:07 pm

Quoting Indy (Reply 2):
I didn't realize it was all that common. Of all the times I've flown in my life this was the first time I had seen this happen. I'm sure people have gotten sick. I just never saw it all over an aisle.

As a teenager, I ''christened'' a brand-spanking new Canadian Airlines Boeing 767-300 exactly like that. Huge mess.

A flight attendant poured bags of coffee grounds all over the aisle carpet.

Lesson learned: don't ignore nausea and just hope it will go away. Have the sick bag ready!

LD4

beau222 · Sat Dec 24, 2011 6:12 pm

Quite a few times in my newbie days I was called up top to clean up such mess, club soda and ozone work wonders.

Indy · Sat Dec 24, 2011 6:47 pm

Quoting Skydrol (Reply 5):
As a teenager, I ''christened'' a brand-spanking new Canadian Airlines Boeing 767-300 exactly like that. Huge mess.

That completely made my day

I was a teenager and my step dad was working on his private pilot license. I got to fly with him and his instructor one day. I picked the wrong day to have breakfast before a flight. That was the day they practiced stalls. The back seat of that Cessna was probably never the same again

That was the first and only time I have gotten sick in flight. I almost got sick flying DTW-AMS in WBC. Too much alcohol about did me in. By the time we reached the gate I was really green.

ferminbrif · Sat Dec 24, 2011 7:30 pm

I think vomit is pretty normal in all airways around the world. I would even go so far as to say "without exceptions". otherwise, they wouldn´t put vomit disposal bag in every single seat.

Maverick623 · Sat Dec 24, 2011 7:58 pm

Quoting skoker (Reply 4):
Believe it or not, things like vomit and feces and urine are NOT classified as biohazards, much to my dismay, at least at Delta.

I think OSHA would like to have a word with them.

railker · Sat Dec 24, 2011 8:14 pm

YYJ has the "major mess bin", a big red bin in the baggage area containing biohazard bags, masks, gloves, all the solidifying agents and disinfectants and such. Had to use it myself more than a couple times while I was working there. Some pretty bad stories come out when you see that bin being taken off the shelf, and it's not always vomit. o.o

planejamie · Sat Dec 24, 2011 8:48 pm

I threw up on a BA 777-200 from RUH to LHR back in April... and at RUH right by the door to the jetway (about an hour before boarding). I had food poisoning and (I know I shouldn't have technically flown, but I had no choice as if I missed that flight, I'd have Visa problems with Saudi) I also threw up into the sick bag about half way through the flight, and a second time in the loo. I think that 777 (being G-ZZZA) has probably been "Christened" many times...

Credit to the crew, they gave me antibiotics and stuff to (as the flight attendant put it) "bung you up". Another thing to note, on BA (and I presume other airlines) you have to dispose of the sick bags mid-flight in the lavatory bins as the ones by the galley are too near food sources. But on the bag, it says see a crew member after using it. Needless to say, I've got a collection of 8 BA sick bags now (the first time ever throwing up on a plane, never thrown up yet doing my PPL and I've had a rough ride and done stalls in that Aquila A210). My dad still brings me back sick bags now, it's like a collection, I've got Nas Air (the Saudi low cost airline), two different BD ones...

oldtimer · Sat Dec 24, 2011 9:36 pm

Quoting planejamie (Reply 11):
Credit to the crew, they gave me antibiotics and stuff to (as the flight attendant put it)

Since when did CC have authority to give antibiotics to pax on a flight. Immodium, yes I can understand, but you need a prescription for antibiotics and that would need a doctors signature.

ContnlEliteCMH · Sat Dec 24, 2011 10:03 pm

I'm grateful not to have been on a flight where somebody blew major chunks on the seat or aisle. But once on COEX ERJ-145 flight, we had a guy barf into a bag not two minutes after pushing back. Those bags may do a good job catching the emesis, but containing the smell? Not so much.

One whiff and I said, "Has somebody blown chunks already? We've just started taxiing!" Many chuckles around me. Hey, it happens, right?

skoker · Sun Dec 25, 2011 1:07 am

Quoting Maverick623 (Reply 9):
I think OSHA would like to have a word with them.

It's been the same at my current job too. Of course, you'd use PPE and whatnot, and common sense tells you not to touch it or get any of it on you, but there's no risk for "bloodborne pathogens" in vomit, urine, or feces.

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