SriLankan captain locks copilot out of flight deck

[OldLurker]

Sri Lankan Airlines has taken action by grounding a captain involved in a serious safety breach during a recent flight from Sydney to Colombo. The incident, which occurred aboard an Airbus A330, saw the captain allegedly locking his female copilot out of the flight deck mid-flight, sparking concerns about in-flight safety and adherence to airline protocols.

www.aviation24.be/airlines/srilankan-airlines/sri-lankan-airlines-grounds-captain-after-locking-copilot-out-of-flight-deck-during-sydney-flight
The story is also in the mainstream media.

AvHerald has a brief report:
Incident: Srilankan A333 enroute on Sep 21st 2024, captain locked first officer out

[Auxtank]

Well, they'll need reasons in writing at his earliest.
They better be good.

[Frankym]

Originally Posted by OldLurker

www.aviation24.be/airlines/srilankan-airlines/sri-lankan-airlines-grounds-captain-after-locking-copilot-out-of-flight-deck-during-sydney-flight
The story is also in the mainstream media.

AvHerald has a brief report:
Incident: Srilankan A333 enroute on Sep 21st 2024, captain locked first officer out

Locking the copilot out of the flight deck is a big safety concern, especially mid-flight.

[Lookleft]

I recall something similar on an Air India flight. Cockpit doors should be modified so that each pilot has a key that they can use to enter the flight deck. When the hardened cockpit door was first developed no one would imagine that the electronic lock would be used to deny access to the other pilot.

[MechEngr]

If a key is out in the passenger area, then it's possible for someone else to get the key.

[V_2]

Originally Posted by Lookleft

. Cockpit doors should be modified so that each pilot has a key that they can use to enter the flight deck.

and how would you stop a hijacker taking the key from the crew, or obtaining said keys from the black market. You are solving one minor problem by introducing a whole new problem

[Lookleft]

Not really, I don't see a black market in aviation identitiy cards. The problem is the current situation has killed several hundred passengers and as a security tool is not effective either. The key would be the personal responsibility of the crew member in much the same way that IPads and other equipment is. From what has happened in other events such as Eurowings and MH370 the hijacker is the pilot so a key or whatever mechanism that can allow the other crew member to get back into the cockpit is a step forward not a step back.

[V_2]

Well unless you work in the relevant sector, you can’t say there’s no black market for anything just because you don’t see it. That is why it is called black

On the face of it, keys sounds a good solution, but in short Crew iPads go missing all the time, not good for keys. Then the pilot on the cockpit still needs a way of refusing access, key or not, in case the person with the key has bad intentions. The more likely solution is allowing FD access to the toilet without the need to go “into the cabin”. Some sort of double “airlock” door system, I believe the FAA are looking into it.

https://onemileatatime.com/news/airp...-deck-barrier/

[Flyhighfirst]

Originally Posted by Lookleft

I recall something similar on an Air India flight. Cockpit doors should be modified so that each pilot has a key that they can use to enter the flight deck. When the hardened cockpit door was first developed no one would imagine that the electronic lock would be used to deny access to the other pilot.

The problem with a “key” would be they would have to be very generic keys. One key fits the whole fleet type of thing. Otherwise you are going to be running into delayed and cancelled departures daily due to a lost key!

[Chesty Morgan]

Originally Posted by Frankym

Locking the copilot out of the flight deck is a big safety concern, especially mid-flight.

Maybe letting him back in might have been less safe...

[Gordomac]

Silly arguments on "Lookleft's" sensible suggestion. How far do you go ? Next, ban uniiforms. I mean, hell's sake, pilots can be easily identified and,therefore, hiiacked in the Terminal eh ?

Had my laser pen-torch taken off my key chain at LHR Crew Security as the "Officer" went on & on about how dangerous it would be if a hijacker got hold of it. He left my Swiss army mini set attached. Called Supervisor who had a few more brain cells and returned the torch.

I mean....................what if..................C-mno. Darn good idea Lookleft.

[EDLB]

Very likely career ending. As professional you have to work with colleagues for some time you might have problems with. Only if there are severe safety concerns you need to take action. Hard to imagine in this case.

[compressor stall]

V2. That second door is to slow access to the main door when it’s being opened. It is not designed to be impregnable. IIRC it’s to slow access by 5 seconds or something.

[Kiltrash]

Thumbprint or iris recognition pad?? Saves looking key or forgetting code. Back to the old hamsterwheel of CC replacing absent pilot on the flight deck.

[mustafagander]

Lookleft
You've gotta be joking saying that there is no black market in ASIC cards.
Lots of my cabin crew friends had their (real) ASIC copied coz they were afraid of losing theirs. I imagine that there was more than one copy made in the back streets of BKK.

[the_stranger]

There should always be a way to completely lock the cockpit door from inside. If there isn't, the door is only a slowing measure for any determined attacker, not a barrier.
If there are ways in always open the door, these ways will get out to the wrong kind of people.

The question is, what do you think is the most likely event, a pilot locking their colleagues out of a hijacker trying to get in?
Both options do happen, question is, how often and with what result?

Again, any option to disable the deadlocking feature on the inside is reducing the difficulty of taking over controls.

[papabravowhiskey]

I thought the idea was that when one of the flight crew leaves the cockpit, a member of the cabin crew was supposed to take his/her place so that there are always 2 people on the flight deck ...?

[Denti]

Originally Posted by papabravowhiskey

I thought the idea was that when one of the flight crew leaves the cockpit, a member of the cabin crew was supposed to take his/her place so that there are always 2 people on the flight deck ...?

That is not the case in many if not most airlines worldwide. The additional crew member was there to identify who wanted to enter and if the area was clear. Cameras take care of that anyway, and better since they see around the corners (3 cameras vs. one pair of eyes).

[TWT]

In this case the Captain was apparently very annoyed that the female FO had not arranged for another crew member to take her
place in the flight deck while she stepped out for a few minutes. It seems he decided to 'punish' her by refusing access
for an unspecified amount of time and only relented when a different crew member eventually managed to convince
him to open up.

[Maninthebar]

Originally Posted by TWT

In this case the Captain was apparently very annoyed that the female FO had not arranged for another crew member to take her
place in the flight deck while she stepped out for a few minutes. It seems he decided to 'punish' her by refusing access
for an unspecified amount of time and only relented when a different crew member eventually managed to convince
him to open up.

If true then 7 year olds are taught better behaviour.