The QantasLink Boeing 717-200 was on approach to Hobart (Tasmania, Australia) Airport when the pilots smelled chlorine for about 10 seconds; soon afterward, the captain, and then the first officer, experienced hypoxia-like symptoms. They landed the airplane safely, but doctors said the captain had persistent symptoms consistent with impairment, and both had lingering headaches.
Angus Mitchell, chief commissioner of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), said the June 6, 2023, serious incident was “a reminder to pilots to be alert to the potential hazard posed by odours and fumes, and to not hesitate to use supplemental oxygen. The use of oxygen is a proven mitigating action in the case of environmental hazards, and its rapid use ensures flight crews’ physical and mental capacity is maintained.”
The two pilots told ATSB investigators that they had considered using supplemental oxygen but rejected the idea because they were about to land and they believed d…
