Lawyer Francisco Cunha, 48 years old, was one of the 166 passengers on board Azul flight AD-4001, which declared an emergency on board shortly after taking off from Natal (RN). The aircraft, an Airbus A320, was destined for Confins airport (MG), but had to return to the capital of Rio Grande do Norte. The case occurred last Monday (22).
Cunha reports that, shortly after takeoff, the plane made a “deafening noise”. He said a passenger questioned a flight attendant about the noise. “She said that the noise was being caused by a problem with the rubber seal on the door that gives access to the aircraft’s luggage compartment. They said that the noise would not affect the flight in any way and that the plane was safe,” the lawyer told CNN .
The passenger remembers that, about three minutes after the flight attendant's explanation, “the noise increased considerably and, suddenly, the aircraft began to dive. The signs to fasten your seat belts began to come on and the aircraft descended. Then everyone started to panic. There was widespread panic inside, people crying, people praying. Panic, really.”
During this procedure, recalls Cunha, the pilot gave an audible warning to the cabin in which he only said: “Rapid descent”. “About two minutes later, he gave a warning saying: 'crew, we are at safe height'.”
“The sensation, for those inside, was that the plane was falling. Because it’s a very fast and very strong descent,” she says.
According to Cunha, the passengers were already tense from the moment of takeoff, because of the noise the aircraft made. He says the noise was so loud that it was barely possible to talk or listen to music through the headphones. “The noise was unbearable. Imagine spending three hours with that noise on top of you. A frightening noise.”
How was the flight
According to information from the Flightradar24 monitoring website, the Airbus A320 that was making the flight, whose prefix was PR-YYH, took off from Natal at 2:36 am, Brasília time.
Shortly after leaving the ground, the pilot declared the code “mayday” to the control tower. According to the dictionary of terms from the National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac), the word “mayday”, when announced three times – as occurred on flight AD-4001 – “indicates serious and imminent danger, and that the aircraft requires immediate assistance ”.
At 2:59 am, after the pilot declared an emergency, the flight commander began a maneuver to reduce altitude, descending from 36,400 feet (11,094 meters) to 26,450 feet (8,061 meters) in about three minutes.
Five minutes later, the plane was at 10,000 feet (3,048 meters). When the aircraft was flying over the state of Pernambuco, it began a right turn to return to Natal. During the entire journey back to the origin airport, the altitude was maintained at 10 thousand feet.
According to a booklet published by the Federal Council of Medicine (CFM), individuals considered healthy can breathe at an altitude of up to 10,000 feet without “the need for supplemental oxygen”.
The Airbus A320 landed in Natal at 3:46 am – around 50 minutes after taking off.

Passenger criticizes ground assistance
Francisco Cunha criticizes the assistance provided by the company to passengers after the aircraft returned to Natal. “There was only one boy and one girl on the ground to attend to the 166 passengers. They said they couldn’t provide assistance to everyone and that’s when the buzz started.”
Cunha, who was returning from a vacation trip with his wife and two children, says he had to go on a “saga” to return to Belo Horizonte, where he lives.
From Natal, they had to fly to Presidente Prudente, in the interior of São Paulo, and, from there, to Viracopos airport, in Campinas (SP). From there, they got a flight to Belo Horizonte, which only arrived in the early hours of yesterday.
“Our saga began in the early hours of Monday, at 2 am, and ended at midnight. But there were people who still couldn’t return,” says the lawyer. “My boys slept on the floor at the airport. The experience was quite unpleasant.”
What the company says
Wanted by CNN Azul sent the same note that had already been issued on the 22nd. The company did not speak about the supposed problems with the aircraft's luggage compartment and did not comment on the criticisms made by the passenger.
The company only said that “due to technical issues identified after takeoff, flight AD4001 (Natal-Confins), carried out yesterday (22), had to return to the airport of origin”.
“The landing took place safely and the Customers disembarked normally. The company emphasizes that Customers are receiving all necessary assistance, as provided for in resolution 400 of the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) and will be reaccommodated on other flights. Azul regrets any inconvenience caused and reinforces that actions like this are necessary to guarantee the safety of its operations”, concludes the company.
Source: CNN Brasil

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