United Airlines has suspended two pilots after they allowed a passenger to sit in the captain’s seat during a flight.
The incident took place on April 10 this year. That day, a United Airlines Boeing 757 was operating a charter flight from Denver to Toronto. The machine was flying for the Colorado Rockies team, which was flying to the largest city in Canada for a game against the local Toronto Blue Jays team. A video was recorded during the flight showing clear violations of safety rules. The cockpit door was open and one of the passengers was sitting in the captain’s seat. The passenger turned out to be Hensley Meulens, one of the members of the Colorado Rockies coaching staff. As it turned out, he was not the only person unauthorized to be in the cockpit.
In connection with the event, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) initiated an investigation, and United Airlines authorities decided to suspend pilots who allowed passengers to enter the cockpit and sit in seats intended only for the crew.
– We are deeply concerned about what we see in the video, which shows an unauthorized person in the flight deck at cruising altitude. Due to clear violations of our safety and operational policies, we reported the incident to the FAA and suspended the pilots pending an investigation.
– a United Airlines spokesman said in a statement.
It is against the rules of almost all airlines in the world for unauthorized persons to enter the cockpit during a flight. American carriers and the FAA are particularly strict about safety. In exceptional situations, airlines allow selected passengers to enter the cockpit during a flight so that they can see what pilots work like. An example would be YouTubers related to aviation. However, under no circumstances can they sit in the pilot’s seats during the cruise.
