Mumbai: Two Air India pilots put the lives of 166 passengers on a Bangkok-Delhi flight in danger by taking a 40-minute break from the cockpit and getting two stewardesses to operate the plane in their absence.Their stunt almost ended in disaster after one of the stewardesses accidentally turned off the auto-pilot,forcing the pilots to rush back to their seats.
The incident took place 33,000 feet in the air on Air India flight AI 133 (an Airbus 321) from Bangkok to Delhi on April 12,which took off from Bangkok at 8.55am.Thirty minutes later,First Officer Ravindra Nath excused himself from the cockpit for a bathroom break and got airhostess J Bhatt to occupy his seat in his absence.According to the guidelines it is a standard procedure to ensure the presence of second person in the cockpit so that if the pilot is not able to operate the aircraft for some reason,the other crew member in the cockpit can immediately call for the other pilot.But what actually happened after this made a mockery of air safety, said a source in Air India,who did not wish to be named.
Minutes after his co-pilot left the cockpit,Captain B K Soni called another stewardess,Kanika Kala,and asked her to take his seat.Captain Soni spent a few minutes teaching the two stewardesses how to operate the aircraft
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The incident took place 33,000 feet in the air on Air India flight AI 133 (an Airbus 321) from Bangkok to Delhi on April 12,which took off from Bangkok at 8.55am.Thirty minutes later,First Officer Ravindra Nath excused himself from the cockpit for a bathroom break and got airhostess J Bhatt to occupy his seat in his absence.According to the guidelines it is a standard procedure to ensure the presence of second person in the cockpit so that if the pilot is not able to operate the aircraft for some reason,the other crew member in the cockpit can immediately call for the other pilot.But what actually happened after this made a mockery of air safety, said a source in Air India,who did not wish to be named.
Minutes after his co-pilot left the cockpit,Captain B K Soni called another stewardess,Kanika Kala,and asked her to take his seat.Captain Soni spent a few minutes teaching the two stewardesses how to operate the aircraft
http://mobiletoi.timesofindia.com/mobile.aspx?article=yes&pageid=1§id=edid=&edlabel=TOIKRKO&mydateHid=04-05-2013&pubname=Times+of+India+-+Kochi&edname=&articleid=Ar00105&publabel=TOI
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