United Airlines Boeing 777 Passengers Panic After Oxygen Mask Announcement
United Airlines Boeing 777 Passengers Panic After Oxygen Mask Announcement
- Panic ensued on a United Airlines flight when an oxygen mask announcement was triggered, but no masks were deployed.
- One passenger reportedly had a panic attack.
- Crew had no prior knowledge of the announcement, leading to an unsettling situation.
Passengers on a United Airlines Boeing 777-200ER flight from Paris Charles de Gaulle International Airport (CDG) to Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) panicked following an oxygen mask announcement.
The incident details
A United Airlines Boeing 777-200ER, registered as N793UA, was on its scheduled transatlantic flight UA914 from Paris (CDG) to Washington DC (IAD) when an oxygen mask announcement was triggered.
The automated announcement instructed: "wait for the oxygen masks to fall from the compartment, then put them over your head and pull down." However, a passenger on the flight, Parker Pitman, told Simple Flying that although the announcement was triggered, no masks were deployed, causing some passengers to panic.
Photo:Benson Truong | Shutterstock
Pitman said that some people panicked and forcibly opened the compartments to release the masks. The passenger added:
"One person had a panic attack and ran to the aircraft door, presumably to open it. None of the flight crew nor cabin crew had ever heard the announcement before, and it was a very odd situation."
Below is video footage from Pitman showing that no masks were deployed even though the automated oxygen mask announcement was triggered.
Simple Flying has asked United Airlines for a comment.
The aircraft in question is a United Airlines Boeing 777-200ER, which was delivered to the airline in October 1997 and is now 26.8 years old. It can accommodate a total of 276 passengers across four cabin classes: 156 in economy class, 46 in economy plus, 24 in premium economy, and 50 in business class, according to ch-aviation. Currently, the airline has a total of 55 Boeing 777-200ERs in its fleet at an average age of 24.3 years.
Another incident involving the same aircraft type
This week, another United Airlines Boeing 777-200ER was involved in an incident. A 777-200ER with a special Star Alliance livery was forced to make an emergency landing due to a reported hydraulic leak while en route to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) from Washington DC (IAD) on June 9, 2024.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
The aircraft was diverted to Gander International Airport (YQX) in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
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United Airlines Boeing 777 Diverts To Gander Following Hydraulic Leak
The widebody aircraft with a special Star Alliance livery landed safely.
United has experienced other incidents in recent months. In March 2024, hydraulic system issues on a flight from San Francisco to Mexico caused a United Airlines Airbus A320-200 to divert to Los Angeles.
The number of incidents throughout 2024 prompted the US Federal Aviation Administration to conduct an audit of United Airlines. In mid-May 2024, the airline successfully passed an FAA audit of its safety procedures. This enabled the airline to proceed with adding new aircraft and launching new routes.
Nevertheless, the airline indicated it would maintain collaboration with the FAA, noting that the agency's oversight will remain visible across its operations for the time being.
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United Airlines Cleared By FAA To Launch New Routes & Certify Aircraft With Close Oversight
The audit was prompted by several safety events throughout 2024, involving various United Airlines Airbus and Boeing aircraft.
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