In-flight upset - 154 km west of Learmonth, WA, 7 October 2008,

4 FACTUAL INFORMATION: CABIN SAFETYThe first pitch-down resulted in many of the occupants in the cabin being thrownaround the aircraft. The investigation consequently evaluated the extent to whichthe passengers and crew were wearing seat belts, the extent to which appropriateadvice had been provided to passengers regarding the use of seat belts, and theeffect of wearing seat belts on injury rates and severity. The investigation alsoexamined the extent to which any other factors in the cabin may have influenced thefrequency or severity of injuries.4.1 Overview of cabin, crew and passengers4.1.1 Layout of the cabinThe layout of the aircraft cabin is shown in Figure 47. There were eight exits,named according to their side (left or right) and position relative to the front of theaircraft (1 to 4). Ten cabin crew seats, which were used by cabin crew duringtakeoff and landing, were located near to each exit. A cabin interphone was locatednear each exit and was reachable from each of the cabin crew seats. A cabin crewrest area consisting of four seats was located in rows 40 to 41.There were 297 passenger seats on the aircraft: 30 located at the front of the aircraftin business class (rows 1 to 5, between doors 1 and 2), 148 in the centre of theaircraft (rows 23 to 41, between doors 2 and 3), and 119 in the rear of the aircraft(rows 45 to 60, between doors 3 and 4).4.1.2 Cabin crew requirementsUnder Australian civil aviation requirements, a minimum of nine flight attendantswere required to be carried on the A330-300 with a full passenger load. 179 Tenflight attendants were rostered to operate the flight, but one became unavailable andwas not able to be replaced before the flight.The operator’s Flight Administration Manual stated that the primary responsibilityof all cabin crew was passenger safety. The cabin crew included a customerservices manager (CSM), who was responsible for supervising the cabin crew andthe administration of the in-cabin service, and a customer services supervisor(CSS), who had a direct accountability for safety and service in economy class.4.1.3 Cabin crew informationAll of the cabin crew held endorsements for the Airbus A330 and Boeing 747 and767 aircraft. Flight attendants and flight crew were required to complete emergencyprocedures (EP) training annually, and all the crew on the aircraft had completedthe training within 7 months of the occurrence.179The relevant CASA instrument required at least one flight attendant for each unit of 36 passengers(which equated to nine cabin crew for 303 passengers), and at least one flight attendant for eachcabin exit (which equated to at least eight cabin crew).- 161 -