Pilots suspended for coffee break that could have gone horribly wrong

Pilots suspended for coffee break that could have gone horribly wrong
Indian low-cost airline SpiceJet grounded two of its pilots after they allegedly consumed espresso and pastries contained in the cockpit – a snack break that might have gone horribly fallacious had one of many scorching drinks spilled.
{A photograph} exhibiting an uncovered cup with the airline’s emblem positioned dangerously near the management levers contained in the cockpit sparked outrage among the many aviation neighborhood in India and on-line.

The pilots, whose faces weren’t proven within the picture, additionally held gujiyas – a candy fried pastry sometimes eaten through the Hindu pageant Holi, which befell on March 8 this yr.

Two pilots drinking coffee and eating in their cockpit.
Two pilots have been suspended after ingesting espresso and consuming of their cockpit. (Twitter/@Mohan_Rngnathan)

A SpiceJet spokesperson informed CNN on Friday that each pilots have been taken off the roster pending an inquiry.

“SpiceJet has a strict policy (regarding) consumption of food inside the cockpit which is adhered by all flight crew. Appropriate disciplinary action will be taken upon completion of the investigation,” the spokesperson mentioned.

Shakti Lumba, a retired pilot and former head of operations of Indian service IndiGo, mentioned the “feel-good social media photo-op” from the pilots was “immature” and “undesirable,” particularly as they’re answerable for the protection of the plane and its passengers.

“It was totally inexplicable behaviour. All pilots are aware of the dangers of spilled liquids in the cockpit,” he informed CNN, including that almost all firm guidelines and aviation laws prohibit putting any meals and liquids on the central pedestal console.

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Underneath that console is an enormous array {of electrical} wiring that’s important to controlling the airplane – and spilling piping scorching drinks on it would trigger technical tools to overheat or set off the system to close down.

CNN has reached out to India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for touch upon the incident.

The funds service has confronted a slew of incidents final yr, prompting a number of investigations from the aviation regulator.

Last May, a SpiceJet airplane’s autopilot malfunctioned and induced extreme turbulence that led to a number of onboard accidents.

The regulator additionally ordered to halve the service’s operational flights for a interval of eight weeks after being concerned in a minimum of eight technical malfunction, CNN affiliate News 18 reported in July 2022.

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Source: www.9news.com.au