A London To Mumbai Flight Had No Pilots In Cockpit – Mid Flight…

A common fear of flying stems from loss of control. With no control over their surroundings, nervous flyers put their faith in a system of highly trained pilots and aircraft performing at the highest standards. But one recent flight from London to Mumbai presented a situation terrifying to even the most experienced flyers. For a short duration during flight, there were no pilots in the cockpit.

Who And When?

Jet Airways is one of the largest airlines in India serving many international destinations around the world. A flight from London Heathrow to Mumbai endured an extremely harrowing tale. There was a point during the flight in which no one was in the flight deck. On January 1st, a skirmish broke out between the two pilots operating the flight. The duo are rumored to be longstanding close friends.  According to the Times of India, the male first officer slapped the female pilot commanding the flight.

What Happened?

The female commander, visibly upset left the flight deck in tears. Aviation authority reports confirm that cabin crew unsuccessfully attempted to calm the female pilot. The crew tried repeatedly to convince her to rejoin her co pilot colleague in the flight deck. After unsuccessful attempts, the co pilot left the flight deck to speak with his commanding pilot. No one replaced the co pilot, leaving the flight deck entirely empty.

Why?

Unfortunately – you read all of that correctly. For a duration of time – there was no one in the cockpit of a Boeing 777 commercial jetliner filled with passengers. More than 300 passengers were put in grave danger because of personal issues amongst the pilots. After the Eurowings tragedy of years past – a mandatory 2 personnel in the flight deck rule was established. Having no one in control of or monitoring the aircraft is absolutely shocking – and truly scary. Both pilots have since been grounded. The co pilot has lost his license for this grave error in judgement. All passengers landed safely in Mumbai.

What do you think of this ordeal?