Air China flight under probe after sudden loss of cabin pressure

Oxygen masks dropped from an overhead panel when the CA106 flight of Air China suddenly lost control en route to Dalian, July 10, 2018. (Photo/Thepaper)

(ECNS) -- The Civil Aviation Administration of China has launched an investigation into a sudden loss of cabin pressure on an Air China flight from Hong Kong to Dalian, Liaoning Province, on Tuesday.

After taking off from Hong Kong airport at 19:11 (BJT) on July 10, the CA106 flight dropped from 10,600 meters to 3,500 meters in 12 minutes before it climbed to 8,000 meters in 55 minutes.

At around 19:50, the aircraft crew announced a sudden loss of cabin pressure and oxygen masks dropped from an overhead panel.

Throughout the incident, passengers were generally calm and flight attendants tried their best to help passengers put on oxygen masks.

The plane landed safely in Dalian at 22:29 on Tuesday.

The Northeast Bureau of the Civil Aviation Administration of China said on Thursday that the investigation team had sealed related data and recorded interrogations of crew members. The fight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR), devices that preserved the recent history of the flight, have been sent to China Academy of Civil Aviation Science and Technology for further analysis.

Air China said on social media Sina Weibo that the aircrew were under investigation by the Civil Aviation Administration of China and that Air China would maintain a zero-tolerance approach towards any operation found to be against regulations.