It only happens at Air India
The airline regulator has begun an enquiry to determine if Air India pilots napped in business class, leaving two flight attendants in charge of a plane from Bangkok to Delhi last month . Air India has denied that allegation, made in newspaper reports today, but said it has suspended four people till an enquiry is completed.
An Air India source told NDTV that the pilots did leave the cockpit for 20 minutes.
More than 150 passengers were on board.
In a statement today, Air India conceded that the flight attendants "were in the cockpit for a prolonged period" and "due to distraction, the co-pilot had touched the auto pilot disconnect button momentarily." However, it said, "at no point of time the cockpit was left unattended by the cockpit crew." (Read: Air India's full statement)
Newspaper reports today said that while the pilots were sleeping, one of the stewardesses accidentally undid the auto-pilot setting, and that the pilots then raced back to take charge.
http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/dgca-enquiring-if-air-india-pilots-aba...
Normal? I am damn scared to death now..:)
I have a kind of PHOBIA for heights...when i read such news, it gets increased more..
I doubt it only happens at Air India.
Well if the other airlines out here get to know that the planes can be flown without the pilots and by the stewardesses then they also may opt to cut down on costs and get stewardesses to fly their planes and in so doing the pilots would be made redundant but again there will be noises made about poorly paid and overworked stewardesses doing lots of work
This is absolutely ridiculous....
Hats off to AIR INDIA for letting down its reputation even more which has received many negative views in past...
AIR INDIA will never ever learned from its past mistakes..
Sun: oooh now I understand why the stewardesses accidentally undid the auto-pilot setting :O)
Indeed, well done air India.
You have a point. i remember Lauren Holly landing a torn up 747 after the terrorists had killed the pilots ..
Like all airlines in developing countries, expect the unexpected!
Most well trained stewardess in the world.......suppose there is terrorist attack or something.......whole flight crew is capable of taking charge of the plane.......well done Air India.
Agree with turbohampster, but I for sure know, nothing will happen being a Govt run company. Just some eyewash by suspending them and soon this news will be buried and they would be back with suspension revoked retroactively and all monies paid to them.
My thoughts would be that the airhostesses would be too scared to touch anything - let alone the auto pilot..
Air India PR comes up with a winner when they say "at no point of time the cockpit was left unattended by the cockpit crew." - Stretching the truth a bit :O)
"How can you "accidentally undo" an auto-pilot setting?"
Very easily if you don't know what you're doing! Which these girls wouldn't of.
This is plain and simply criminal negligence and both the Pilots should be sent to jail for endangering the lives of everyone on board!
What has the picture to do with the flight ?
only in India
.....Minutes after his co-pilot left the cockpit, Captain B K Soni called another flight attendant, Kanika Kala, and asked her to take his seat. and he spent a few minutes teaching the two flight attendants how to operate the aircraft.
He left the cockpit after putting the plane on auto-pilot, leaving the flight attendants to operate the flight.
(you can even see a picture of the air India heroine here)
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pilots-sleep-as-flight-attendant-turns-off-autopilot-on-Bangkok-Delhi-flight/articleshow/19860300.cms
Wow. incredible.. Air India must be having well trained stewardesses who can even fly planes while the pilots are having a nap or busy at other things in the cabins
"Newspaper reports today said that while the pilots were sleeping, one of the stewardesses accidentally undid the auto-pilot setting, and that the pilots then raced back to take charge."
How can you "accidentally undo" an auto-pilot setting?