Disturbing incident on Israel bound airplane at Budapest Airport

Hungarian authorities are being tight lipped about a terrifying accident that occurred at the Budapest Airport. On March 23, Dikla Abitbul, a 38-year-old mother of two from the Israeli city of Lod apparently fall out of a plane to the tarmac, sustaining head injuries; she is in critical condition. There have been no press conferences, no TV interviews with safety officials, and not one of the involved passengers have been interviewed on Hungarian media.

Here is what we know: Israir Airlines contracted a Czech Smartwings Boeing 737-800 to bring passengers back to Israel from Budapest. Israir’s own plane apparently had broken down the day before and passengers waited eight hours for the replacement jet to be readied for the flight back to Tel Aviv.

Once the passengers were boarded the plane was taxiing at Budapest Airport when suddenly thick smoke entered the cabin. The passengers first complained and then panicked.

Liszt Ferenc Airport in Budapest

It is not clear what happened after this. It seems that the cabin crew opened the doors of the plane to deploy the emergency chutes enabling passengers to leave the plane. People rushed to exit the smoke-filled cabin.

There wasn’t a fire on the plane. According to one explanation the airport’s towing tug emitted thick exhaust that was sucked into the cabin by the plane’s air-conditioning system. In the chaos on board Abitbul apparently fell from the aircraft before the chute was opened.

Abitbul’s mother, Riki Sapirin, said that her daughter didn’t slide. “She didn’t manage to slide. She was standing at the entrance to the plane, among the first five passengers that stood in line so that they would open the slides.” Sapirin said that either the wind from the engines or perhaps a push from the passengers behind her caused Abitbul to fall out of the aircraft and plummet to the asphalt below. (Read Stuart Winer’s report here.)

Airport exhaust inside a plane? Wind from the engines? Pushed out of the open door of the plane?

Budapest Airport officials need to hold a press conference and honestly present the circumstances of this incident. Hungary’s government controlled press tends to suppress unpleasant news. Without a satisfactory explanation of this incident legitimate questions will be raised about the overall safety and operation of Budapest Airport.

György Lázár

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