Air Niugini 737 evacuation slowed by baggage retrieval

Investigators have determined that evacuation of the Air Niugini Boeing 737-800 which undershot into the sea at Chuuk was slowed by occupants trying to retrieve baggage. The aircraft was lightly loaded, with just 35 passengers and 12 crew members on board, when it came down short of the runway Sept 28 last year. Papua New Guinea's Accident Investigation Commission says that it "noted with concern" that there were "many instances of non-compliance" with evacuation directives prohibiting baggage from being taken from the aircraft during evacuation. "A couple of passengers stated in their response to [the commission's] written questionnaire that they were annoyed that a cabin crew member at the overwing exit forced them to leave cabin baggage in the aircraft," it says. <br/>