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Boeing 767-200 Air Zimbabwe B762 at London on Aug 3rd 2008, overwing slide deployed in flight. An Air Zimbabwe Boeing 767-200, registration Z-WPE performing flightUM-722 from Harare (Zimbabwe) to London Gatwick, EN (UK) with 206passengers and 10 crew, was on final approach to London Gatwick, thecrew just selected flaps 15, when the crew noticed an unusual rollmotion, the airplane however quickly stabilized. A normal landingfollowed. The AAIB released their report stating, that during postflight inspection the crew noticed the right overwing escape slidecompartment open and the slide itsself missing.
The activating mechanism was hanging out of the compartment and had caused dents and perforations in the adjacent fuselage skin. The deflated overwing slide was found several days later in the approach path to Gatwick Airport. The airplane however had already been repaired and dispatched again without a detailed inspection to determine as to why the compartment had opened.
Boeing was able to perform a limited investigation establishing, that the opening actuators had not fired and the escape hatch was still securely locked. However, as the slide came out of the compartment, the inflation cylinder had discharged. Boeing was able to determine, that the slide had not inflated inside the compartment and blown the compartment door open as a result, and concludes, that a combination of incomplete latching, misrigged or worn components prompted the release of the slide.
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