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Posted on 08/14/2014 10:26:51 AM PDT by nickcarraway
Mumbai-Brussels flight drops 5,000 feet as pilot ‘rests’
In a year that has witnessed a number of aviation episodes, a potential incident was averted when a Jet Airways flight from Mumbai to Brussels dropped 5,000 feet in Ankara airspace while the pilot was having a ‘rest’.
The co-pilot, meanwhile, was busy on her tablet and reportedly claims she had no idea the plane had dropped in altitude.
A call from an alarmed Ankara ATC jolted the pilots into action.
The Jet Airways flight 9W 228, operating on a Boeing 777-300 ER, was reportedly flying at an altitude of 34,000 feet when it suddenly dropped.
Jet Airways confirmed it has initiated an inquiry into the incident, which occurred on August 8.
In a statement, the airline said: “Jet Airways has initiated an internal inquiry into the matter. The airline is also extending all co-operation in the matter to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation by providing all necessary assistance for the inquiry.
“Safety is of paramount importance to Jet Airways, as is also the welfare of our guests and crew and the airline will always take appropriate steps to ensure the same.”
A DGCA official quoted in the Economic Times, said: “In the initial inquiry, the co-pilot said that she was not aware of the reasons for descent and she was reading the flight manuals.
“This requires thorough investigation and only then will we be able to ascertain the reasons.”
Meanwhile, the carrier faced another incident today aboard its Delhi-Bhopal flight on August 14 due to an engine fire warning.
Jet Airways confirmed the incident, saying: “Jet Airways flight 9W 2654 from Delhi to Bhopal had a precautionary rejected take off at Delhi due to engine fire warning.
“The ATR aircraft has since been grounded at Delhi for inspection by the Jet Airways engineering staff. All the guests were deplaned safely and taken back to the terminal building without any event. The aircraft has since been changed and duly departed for its destination at 0850 hrs.”
Some posters will claim its Tony Stewarts fault.
How does someone not realize they’ve dropped 5k feet? Unless it was a slow sink rate - but - shouldn’t they have been on auto-pilot? Boeing planes have an altitude deviation alert at 700’ +/- when auto is selected. You drop and it’ll bark at you. Naps aren’t that big a deal though. Canadian pilots are authorized power naps (just saying). ATC should have been monitoring and call ... anyway there has to be more to the story than the knee jerk reporting as they usually do...
Immediate termination and fining. Unless, of course, she is a member of a protected victim group, in which case she can fly and endanger other people.
Ya, just read it and answered in MHO - full story not in but as usual the news reports inaccurate stuff before full story in.
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Love reading this stuff while waiting to board an 11 hour flight. Ugh.
Don’t be judgmental. Support Sisterhood!
After all, she just overlooked one switch and that cockpit is sooo confusing.
Fiddle - I’m just curious as to why the drift down and no barking from the flight computer ... makes no difference if she was on her iPad or the captain was dozing - just saying the full story is still out there. The MSM always likes to get all hysterical ...
Of course the Lamestreamers are hysterical. As would you be, if your salary depended on decreasing sales and you watched advertising money going to the Internet.
Isn’t it fun to watch them hyperventilating in unison?
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