Air India flight operated by cabin crew whilst pilots sleep in J class.
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Warwick
Age: 58
Posts: 43
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by capetonian
"We will revert to you on receiving their reply."
Standard Indian subcontinent English
Standard Indian subcontinent English
"engangering the lives of everyone on board".
Air India released a statement stating, that the aircraft was under control by flight crew at all times, at no time the flight attendants were at the controls of the aircraft.
Hell now the Daily Mail have got the story!!
Airline suspends pilots after they 'left Airbus carrying 166 passengers on autopilot and air hostesses in charge while they slept in business class' | Mail Online
Last edited by crewmeal; 4th May 2013 at 05:36.
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: In a far better place
Posts: 2,480
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Wait... there may be a Bollywood blockbuster docudrama to come from this. Contributing crayonists... the Mumbai Mirrorl
Last edited by captjns; 4th May 2013 at 10:58.
Dan Winterland
Agree 
I've seen the same (embarrasing as it was)
In this thread subject it became an incident apparently because it could not be immediately corrected.
I'll let the authorities sort out who sat where and when since I don't trust the press
''I have accidentally disconnected the autopilot in a 330 with my knee, why did that not make the news?''
It's very easy to accidently disconnect the AP on the FBW Airbus types. The disconnect/takeover button on the sidestick is neccessarily very accessible and consequently in a vulnerable position. It happened to me recently when the clipboard slid off the other pilot's table in turbulence.
As far as I'm concerned, it's a very minor incident and when it happens, you just re-engage the AP - assuming you know how to! And that is why you don't allow unqualifed people to occupy the pilot's seats in flight. In our operation, we have to have a cabin crew on the flight deck if one pilot has to use the toilet and they sit on one of the jump seats.
It's very easy to accidently disconnect the AP on the FBW Airbus types. The disconnect/takeover button on the sidestick is neccessarily very accessible and consequently in a vulnerable position. It happened to me recently when the clipboard slid off the other pilot's table in turbulence.
As far as I'm concerned, it's a very minor incident and when it happens, you just re-engage the AP - assuming you know how to! And that is why you don't allow unqualifed people to occupy the pilot's seats in flight. In our operation, we have to have a cabin crew on the flight deck if one pilot has to use the toilet and they sit on one of the jump seats.
I've seen the same (embarrasing as it was)
In this thread subject it became an incident apparently because it could not be immediately corrected.
I'll let the authorities sort out who sat where and when since I don't trust the press
I have accidentally disconnected the autopilot in a 330 with my knee
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Ireland
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I work in as an IT contractor across Europe, make a nice living repatriating IT projects outsourced to the Indian Subcontinent. This story does not surprise me at all. Reminds me of a similar disaster that happened to IT operations in one of my clients. Luckily this was not an aviation disaster with loss of life.
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: PA USA
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I cant believe some think that disconnecting an autopilot (assuming the crew was in the cockpit) would ever rise to the level of incident, let alone anything newsworthy. For crying out loud are you not pilots?
This is the reason I believe there has to something to this story. If it was just the autopilot clicking off, who would have ever heard about it?
This is the reason I believe there has to something to this story. If it was just the autopilot clicking off, who would have ever heard about it?
Join Date: May 2002
Location: dubai
Posts: 942
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I have worked with individuals from that part of the world.
They are quite prone to getting up and walking around the cabin, sometimes attempting to without consulting the PIC. They seem to think it is a macho thing to be seen to be strutting their stuff and to seen by the pax.. They are pretty well reliant on the automatics. God help anyone who is on board one of their airlines, and the the 2 robots are reduced to manual flying on standby instruments. However they don't have the common sense or the experience to realise, if something goes wrong at the wrong time both crew members would need to be in the cockpit, not outside chewing the fat.
Having said that I have awoken on the flight deck and found the other 2 crew members sound asleep, on a long flight over very remote part of the world.
Flame me if you wish, at least we were all in the cockpit.
They are quite prone to getting up and walking around the cabin, sometimes attempting to without consulting the PIC. They seem to think it is a macho thing to be seen to be strutting their stuff and to seen by the pax.. They are pretty well reliant on the automatics. God help anyone who is on board one of their airlines, and the the 2 robots are reduced to manual flying on standby instruments. However they don't have the common sense or the experience to realise, if something goes wrong at the wrong time both crew members would need to be in the cockpit, not outside chewing the fat.
Having said that I have awoken on the flight deck and found the other 2 crew members sound asleep, on a long flight over very remote part of the world.
Flame me if you wish, at least we were all in the cockpit.
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Chapel Hill,NC, USA
Posts: 61
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Sounds like, from a friend of mine who flew a short time for an Indian airline before quitting, that many young Indian pilots bribed their way into their licence and later the job. Why waste time with onerous training?
Last edited by taildrag; 6th May 2013 at 14:15.
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: In a far better place
Posts: 2,480
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RDR.... it ain't up to ICAO. Its up to each country's Aviation Administration to determine whether or not AI is safe or not safe to operate within their airspace.
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Buffalo, NY
Age: 46
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I question why anyone would even step foot on an Air India aircraft... The list just goes on and on... after I watched that one twit make that Air India rap video and put it on you tube I just wanted to cry, because that is the next generation of pilots in this world, and it scares the s+++ out of me.