When holidaymakers were asked to sit at the back of the plane to balance heavy luggage in the front of the hold, many thought it was a bad joke.
But it was a serious request. One of the doors to the hold was jammed, meaning bags could be loaded only at one end, making the plane nose-heavy.
However, the call for passengers to act as human ballast towards the tail provoked panic, and 71 refused to board.
