Captain locks co-pilot out of cockpit in mid-air tiff
Two Air New Zealand pilots have been stood down over a mid-air tiff that led to the captain locking the first officer out of the cockpit.
Flight NZ176 was travelling from Perth to Auckland and was delayed after the first officer was asked to undergo a random drug and alcohol test.
The 13-minute delay apparently frustrated the captain who went on to lock the first officer out of the cockpit for two minutes once the plane took-off, the New Zealand Herald reports.
Air New Zealand played down the incident saying the captain didn’t open the door because he was approaching a navigational waypoint and thought it was a member of the cabin crew — rather than his co-pilot — attempting to enter the cockpit.
"Both pilots have learned a valuable lesson around the need to communicate better with peers," said an Air New Zealand operational integrity and safety manager.
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
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