Captain UA455 removed from flight for "emotional meltdown"
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I feel very sorry for the crew and passengers on this flight and hope that the Captain will be well supported by the employer.
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Such things happen, and always will as long as fallible humans are part of the equation. The problem, mercifully, was detected and appropriate action taken. I very much hope this unfortunate individual, who would be better served by our compassion than inappropriate attempts at "humour," will receive the help she needs.
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Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnu6QSEt-m4
I wonder why she walked to the back of the aircraft after her "rant"? |
What kind of uniform was that she wearing? Tee shirt and baseball cap?
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Statistically the safest place to be? :rolleyes:
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Look on the bright side, she gave her passengers fair warning. Others, such as the Germanwings F/O, didn't!
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Whether a man or woman, this type of conduct renders a pilot unfit to be in our profession. I know, she needs help, and help she should get. Once fit again, she should be looking for a non-aviation profession.
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It was a long period of time, from the moment the crew enter the cockpit until they are ready for push-back. I wonder why the crew did not talk to the pilot, to convince her that she is not fit to fly. FO didn't stop her to become a national news.
At the end of the video, I think she realized what she did, then she went at the back of the plane to avoid staring eyes and cameras. |
Ready....well posted...
Pheonix.... It was a long period of time, from the moment the crew enter the cockpit until they are ready for push-back. I wonder why the crew did not talk to the pilot, to convince her that she is not fit to fly. FO didn't stop her to become a national news. |
Yes, theoretically it is possible, but the doors were armed (in video FA ask to disarm doors), then I guess there was some time between she entered the cabin and the doors closing.
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I would imagine that the F/O was looking at the seniority list.
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Originally Posted by aterpster
(Post 9673533)
Whether a man or woman, this type of conduct renders a pilot unfit to be in our profession. I know, she needs help, and help she should get. Once fit again, she should be looking for a non-aviation profession.
In other cases of bad judgment and public misbehavior, I've seen some of the familiar cards played as a mitigation strategy. United is by all accounts a progressive workplace and in addition to ALPA, she will probably have one or two demographic advocacy groups on her side. It's very hard to get fired as a union pilot for a major U.S. airline these days. A few people do succeed though. :ugh: An account of the episode from the Austin, Texas newspaper: Pilot removed from Austin flight after reports of strange behavior Nicole Barrios Austin Community Newspapers Staff 10:11 p.m Saturday, Feb. 11, 2017 Local News A United Airlines pilot was removed from an Austin to San Francisco flight Saturday evening, a spokesman for United Airlines confirmed. United Airlines spokesman Charlie Hobart confirmed that the pilot was removed from United Airlines Flight 455. “We hold our employees to the highest standards and we removed that pilot from that flight,” he said. “We brought in a new crew and they operated that flight.” The pilot boarded the flight dressed in regular clothes, he confirmed. According to multiple reports on Twitter from passengers, the pilot went on a “rant” about her divorce and the presidential election, and also began crying. Randy Reiss, a passenger on the flight, tweeted about the flight and described the situation as scary. On Twitter, Reiss said the pilot told those on board that she was going through a divorce and began crying during the incident. Reiss told the Statesman via Twitter that he believed the pilot was not in “the mental space today to take that on.” A video uploaded to YouTube today appears to show a portion of what the pilot said to passengers. In the video, the pilot is seen saying: “Don’t worry, I’m going to let my co-pilot fly it (the airplane). He’s a man,” she said. “If you don’t feel safe, get off the airplane. But otherwise, we can go,” the pilot told passengers over the intercom. After that comment, a man in the video appears to get up and request to get off of the airplane. The pilot is then seen asking passengers if she offended them. The flight was scheduled to depart Austin-Bergstrom International Airport at 5:02 p.m., according to KVUE News. The flight’s departure was delayed for about two hours due to the incident, Hobart said. “We removed her from the flight, (and) we’re going to discuss this matter with her,” he said. “We were looking out for our customers to get them to where they needed to be.” |
I really feel for this pilot. She must have been in an awful place to bahave like this and I'm guessing its totally out of character. Hopefully she can get over this episode and continue flying.
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Avw82: I feel for the pilot and her personal life and how it will be affected but I'd caution at being quick to ever let her fly again. This isn't an episode of depression or a bad day, this is a mental break that nearly all will never experience in their life no matter the circumstances so something is clearly wrong with the individual and the safety of the flying public and fellow employees has to be guarded. The biggest indicator this can happen again is that it has happened the first time. Sad situation.
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IMSAFE
I guess she went through the IMSAFE checklist a bit too publicly.
IMHO, she should have called in sick. However, doing it in this way, she's practically guaranteed to get proper help. |
It's very hard to get fired as a union pilot for a major U.S. airline these days. A few people do succeed though. Although, JetBlue wasn't union at the time, you might remember the captain who got locked out of his own cockpit inflight due to a scary rant. He'll apparently never fly again, since the judge who released him in 2012 stipulated that he never again try to regain his license. |
Murexway:
If UAL plays their cards right, they won't terminate her provided she go under the care of a psychiatrist jointly agreed to by ALPA and the company. Further, that she signs a release that at the end of therapy the psychiatrist will advise the company, ALPA, and the FAA whether she is fit to be issued an FAA medical certificate. The chances of the psychiatrist giving her the thumbs up will be about zero, so then she is terminated because of lack of certification, or medically retired, depending on the provision of the UAL/ALPA CBA. |
Airbubba:
I'm guessing she'll get a few weeks off with pay to sort out her 'life issues'. Then she will return to the line unless the feds somehow get involved and yank her medical in the post Germanwings era. |
The assumption is that a pilot is a man, unless otherwise specified. That's normal human parlance. There are vastly more male pilots operating airliners. Statistics. Do we have to get bothered about a relatively insignificant gender terminology issue, when the glaring issue was a mentally disturbed pilot intending to operate? And she talked about PF being a "MAN". Should the nitpickers have mentioned that too?
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How did she get onto the plane? I thought the pilot and co-pilot had to go to a place to get weather info and plan the flight. Is that done in street clothes?
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Gender cannot be an issue, it could happen to anyone these days. Had the captain and first officer both been gay and both madly in love with the same gay flight attendant, who was also on the flight, who had ditched them both for another gay flight attendant who was also on the same flight, and all the pax were gays on their way to a gay convention, the issue of gender discrimination would not have arisen and no journalist worth his salt would have written a bean about all that wobble been thrown on board and we would have had nothing to talk about on this forum, would you not agree.
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Mentioned the other pilot was a man and ranted politics with Clinton and trump. Sounds like an anti man feminist rant. Hubby probably cheated and got caught leading to divorce.
The real problem is not calling time on work instead of washing your dirty clothes in public. Like it or not, she's toast. |
I feel very sorry for the lady as she obviously worked very hard to become a UAL captain in the first place and people do have emotional overloads, like it or not hormonal imbalances can amplify those for the fair sex more than men sometimes.
A few things puzzle me 1 Only 20 Pax tried to contact UAL about it 2 How on earth , with all the security today, did she get on board sans uniform, said garment normally festooned with Corporate logo, rank stripes various IDs and passes 3 No one in crew room, crew bus, despatch, etc etc saw any odd behaviour Bizarre incident all round, comments about Trump and Hilary though would suggest that she is certainly not wholly insane |
How on earth , with all the security today, did she get on board sans uniform |
At my airline in the US the policy differs dependent upon the location, some crew rooms/ops you can access in civies, others you can't. Dependent upon the airport.
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A uniform is not required by FAA regulations.
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Originally Posted by Deep and fast
(Post 9673750)
Mentioned the other pilot was a man and ranted politics with Clinton and trump. Sounds like an anti man feminist rant. Hubby probably cheated and got caught leading to divorce.
The real problem is not calling time on work instead of washing your dirty clothes in public. Like it or not, she's toast. :rolleyes: |
aterpster A uniform is not required by FAA regulations. To access areas of the SIDA it is per certain airports. |
I have had a breakdown. Although it seems to have happened in the air, it wasn't apparent until long after landing, and no, I never flew again. THIS IS AMENDED, SINCE I REALISE THAT IT IS IN POOR TASTE, READING SOME OF THE COMMENTS THAT HAVE COME AFTER.
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Of your own choosing?
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West Coast. If you're asking about my breakdown, no, not of my own choosing. Loss of licence medically, and the hoops to get it back were too much. I figured that even if I did, the stress of the job would probably bring it back. Luckily I was 57 when it happened, and a good pension kicked in at 60, so it was survivable.
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I read the comments of one passenger who stated that she was wearing flip-flops. I can't imagine an agent letting the working captain down the jetbridge dressed like that. Apparently it was an A-319. Was this a mainline crew? If so, she must be SFO based.
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Whether a man or woman, this type of conduct renders a pilot unfit to be in our profession. I know, she needs help, and help she should get. Once fit again, she should be looking for a non-aviation profession. I'd also hope that the issue is/was temporary, as the road to a left seat at a US major is long, and this pilot has already invested heavily in their career. To automatically exclude someone from the cockpit without knowing all the facts is a fairly harsh judgement. |
I can't imagine an agent letting the working captain down the jetbridge dressed like that. |
West Coast:
To access areas of the SIDA it is per certain airports. |
There have been plenty of recent examples of male pilots having a breakdown in the cockpit Commensense prevailed, I wouldn't want to have to fight the Huggy Fluffies of today. |
Originally Posted by Murexway
(Post 9673868)
I read the comments of one passenger who stated that she was wearing flip-flops. I can't imagine an agent letting the working captain down the jetbridge dressed like that. Apparently it was an A-319. Was this a mainline crew? If so, she must be SFO based.
https://twitter.com/undeadsinatra/st...rc=twsrc%5Etfw |
Sad situation. Unfortunately had she been allowed to become airborne and the gravity of the situation she had created subsequently became apparent to her, then her mental state may have then deteriorated even further. Obviously a lady under great stress and hopefully she will be treated with respect and will get the help she requires.
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the way that she is dressed would be suitable for driving a cab
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