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Vacationers on a flight from London to New York had to endure a three-hour delay – because the wrong first officer was sitting in the cockpit of the machine. The man hadn’t even finished his training. When the pilot of the plane found out, he immediately turned back.
First Officers usually qualified pilots
First officers are very important on board an aircraft. As a rule, these are qualified pilots who are responsible for maintaining the safety of the flight. They support the pilot in flying and in communicating with air traffic control. But the man assigned to be first officer on that plane shouldn’t have been there yet.
Passengers got angry
When the plane just reached Ireland, the man informed the pilot about his current status. He still needs a “final assessment flight” with a training captain, according to the guidelines of the Virgin Atlantic airline.
The pilot of the machine immediately informed the passengers and turned back. “The air in the cockpit was to die for,” an eyewitness later reported to the British newspaper “The Sun”. The passengers were angry, it is also said.
Spokesman for the aviation safety authority speaks about the incident
Virgin Atlantic has apologized for the incident. The company later announced that there was probably an error in the roster. Also, the first officer is by no means a beginner: “Both pilots had their pilot’s license and were qualified to fly this aircraft,” Virgin Airlines said on request. Only one last training flight was missing. For this “the captain of the aircraft had no proven instructor status,” it continues.
It was not a breach of aviation or safety rules. Virgin Atlantci’s regulations are stricter. The pilot had turned back because of these regulations. The first officer has been with the company since 2017, and the pilot for 17 years. Before take-off, only proof of being qualified for the aircraft in question had to be presented – that was the case with the first officer.
The Aviation Safety Authority was informed of the incident. But a spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority said: “Both pilots were sufficiently licensed and qualified to conduct the flight.” (eon)
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