New Delhi, January 3: Two of the senior pilots working with the Jet Airways have been grounded for fighting inside the cockpit of a London-Mumbai flight on January 1.
According to a report, the Captain of the plane allegedly slapped the lady co-pilot mid-flight after which she left the cockpit in tears. After great persuasion, she went back to the cockpit but she came out again in a huff. The cabin crew, who were frightened by the tussle requested her to go back and safely operate the flight to its destination. Luckily the plane landed safely. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) suspended the co-pilot’s flying license and ordered a probe into the entire episode.
This unprecedented cockpit war took place on 9W 119, moments after the Boeing 777 took off for its 9-hour journey to Mumbai with 324 passengers and 14 crew members on board on New Year Day at around 10 am (UK time).
“Moments after the London-Mumbai bound plane took off, the two had a fight. The captain slapped the co-pilot and she left the cockpit in tears. For few minutes she stood in the galley sobbing. The cabin crew tried to comfort her and send her back to the cockpit. On the other side the captain also kept buzzing the crew, asking them to comfort her and send her back to the cockpit,” Times of India quoted a source.
After this the Captain reportedly came out of the cockpit – leaving the plane unmanned in gross violation of safety rules – and persuaded the co-pilot to return with him to the controls.
“However, moments after they went in, again a fight broke out between both the pilots and the co-pilot came out again. This time the cabin crew was quite afraid of the fight happening in the cockpit. They requested her to go to the cockpit and land the plane safely to its destination,” TOI reported.
The co-pilot then returned to the cockpit and the plane landed safely in Mumbai just after midnight of January 1-2.
The matter has been reported to the top regulatory body, the Director General of Civil Aviation. The authorities has also taken action against both the pilots. Both of them have been “de-rostered” pending an internal investigation, the airline said.