A flight attendant fell from a plane at East Midlands Airport when door was open and stairs moved
An investigation has been carried out after the senior crew member was seriously injured last December
Last updated 25th Sep 2025
A flight attendant fell from a plane when mobile steps were moved away from the aircraft while she still had one foot on them, an investigation has found.
The delayed Tui flight was scheduled to depart East Midlands Airport to Lanzarote on December 16 last year when the senior crew member was seriously injured after falling into a gap between the steps and the plane.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) found that the stairs were moved even though the plane door was still open.
The report said it was "not clear" whose responsibility it was to check that the door was closed and the steps were clear.
The AAIB said the woman, who had more than 30 years of experience as a senior cabin crew member, had her left foot on the steps and her right foot on the plane when the stairs began to move and she tried to hang onto the aircraft door before she fell.
Investigators said the staff member had broken bones and needed a "significant period of recovery" because of her injuries.
A dispatcher who was also on the steps when they were pushed away from the aircraft "was able to hang on to the side rail to prevent himself from falling", the report said.
The report said that ramp staff, who unload baggage and move the steps, assumed the plane door was closed and the stairs could be moved away because a dispatcher came off the stairs while another was already at the bottom of them.
The AAIB report said:
"The step removal process was conducted in a way that was not consistent with the written policy and had insufficient safeguards to prevent movement of the steps with people on them or the door still open.
"The presence of a dispatcher at the bottom on the steps releasing the stabilisers triggered the steps to be moved without an effective check or confirmation that the door was closed and the steps were vacated.
"The presence of multiple dispatchers, without the ramp team knowing who the official dispatcher was, set the conditions for this event to occur."
The AAIB said the ground-handling company and the operator have taken action to improve safety after the investigation raised issues.
A spokesperson for East Midlands Airport, which does not have responsibility for the ground handling crew who move the aircraft steps on behalf of Tui, said:
"East Midlands Airport has supported the AAIB and other regulatory bodies throughout this investigation.
"Our involvement in the incident was limited to Air Traffic Control initiating a call-out to our Fire Service, which attended as first responders.
"We extend our best wishes to the cabin crew member who was injured and sincerely hope they have made a full recovery."