Pilot leaves Cockpit Door Open during Flight, suspended
A British Airways pilot sparked outrage after leaving the cockpit door open mid-flight to show off to family. The act, a serious breach of aviation security rules post-9/11, led to his suspension, flight cancellation, and an internal investigation questioning cockpit safety protocols.
"Hey, look mom, I became a pilot". A British Airways pilot took this sentence too literally during a flight from London Heathrow Airport to New York JFK Airport.
On August 6th, passengers of British Airways flight 173 scheduled from London to New York, reported that the cockpit door was open for a prolonged period during the seven-and-a-half-hour journey. It is reported that the pilot's family were also on board. The pilot intentionally left the cockpit door open to showcase himself flying the plane to his relatives. Unfortunately for the pilot, this move backfired which ultimately led to his suspension.
A British Airways insider stated, "The door was wide open for a significant time. It was enough time for many people to see, to start to worry and to comment. Our BA colleagues were so alarmed that the pilot was reported in the US, and the bosses had to suspend him".
Do you remember the tragedy of 9/11? That incident was a slap in the face of aviation security and a harsh wake-up call that reforms were needed to be made. The aftermath of the attacks resulted in numerous changes involving the requirement of cockpit door to be closed at all times during flight. As a result, the pilot was grounded immediately after landing. Unfortunately, due to absence of a pilot, the return flight to London was cancelled and hundreds of passengers were left stranded.
Simple Flying's video on the incident
Although, after a formal investigation, British Airways concluded there was no major security threat and the pilot in question has been cleared to return to duty. British Airways insists that safety and security are their top priority and such allegation are thoroughly investigated.
But, still there are a lot of questions that are left unanswered: Why did the other pilot let the pilot keep the door open?, Did the pilot in question not know about the regulations? And if he did, why did he do what he did?, Should the pilot have been given back his wings? etc.
Aviation is an industry where security is the foremost priority and even though this incident might seem trivial, often the trivial mistakes lead to the harshest repercussions.
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