Pilot locks himself out of cockpit in mid-air (real news!)
Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 10:35 am
Pilot locks himself out of cockpit in mid-air
By David Banks and agencies
The crew of an Air Canada passenger jet was forced to break down their cockpit door in mid-air after the pilot locked himself out when he popped to the toilet.
The bizarre incident occured with 30 minutes to go of an internal flight from the Canadian capital, Ottawa, to Winnipeg, Manitoba, when the pilot went to use the toilet at the back of the Air Canada Jazz aeroplane.
Instead of slipping back inside, he was seen banging on the door and talking to his first officer on an internal phone.
Eventually - assisted by crew members - he succeeded in taking the door off its hinges so he could get back in.
The Bombardier CRJ-100 plane was carrying about 50 passengers when the incident happened.
Manon Stuart, an Air Canada Jazz spokeswoman, said that the first officer had remained on the flight deck throughout the pilot's absence. As the first officer could have landed the flight by himself, there had been no danger, she claimed.
"To the best of our knowledge, it's the first time we've encountered this problem in-flight," she said.
She said passengers had remained calm during the incident, which took place earlier this week.
"We investigated the incident, and the crew followed standard operational procedures," she was quoted as saying. "At no time was the safety or security of passengers compromised."
Peter St. John, who teaches courses in terrorism and airline security at the University of Manitoba, which was the airline's destination, says the incident sends a troubling message to terrorists. "The pilot really shouldn't have to go to the back of the plane to have a pee," Mr St. John said.
By David Banks and agencies
The crew of an Air Canada passenger jet was forced to break down their cockpit door in mid-air after the pilot locked himself out when he popped to the toilet.
The bizarre incident occured with 30 minutes to go of an internal flight from the Canadian capital, Ottawa, to Winnipeg, Manitoba, when the pilot went to use the toilet at the back of the Air Canada Jazz aeroplane.
Instead of slipping back inside, he was seen banging on the door and talking to his first officer on an internal phone.
Eventually - assisted by crew members - he succeeded in taking the door off its hinges so he could get back in.
The Bombardier CRJ-100 plane was carrying about 50 passengers when the incident happened.
Manon Stuart, an Air Canada Jazz spokeswoman, said that the first officer had remained on the flight deck throughout the pilot's absence. As the first officer could have landed the flight by himself, there had been no danger, she claimed.
"To the best of our knowledge, it's the first time we've encountered this problem in-flight," she said.
She said passengers had remained calm during the incident, which took place earlier this week.
"We investigated the incident, and the crew followed standard operational procedures," she was quoted as saying. "At no time was the safety or security of passengers compromised."
Peter St. John, who teaches courses in terrorism and airline security at the University of Manitoba, which was the airline's destination, says the incident sends a troubling message to terrorists. "The pilot really shouldn't have to go to the back of the plane to have a pee," Mr St. John said.
