It’s not uncommon to hear about violence onboard planes, with poorly behaved passengers typically being the culprits. However, Focus Taiwan reports on a case where the captain of the plane is accused of being the violent one, in what can only be described as a bizarre incident.
In this post:
EVA Air pilots argue over taxiing speed, punches thrown
Earlier this month, Taiwan-based Star Alliance carrier EVA Air suspended a captain and opened an investigation into an incident that happened on a recent flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Taipei (TPE).
According to reports, the incident occurred after the flight’s (Malaysian) first officer tried to warn the (Taiwanese) captain that he was taxiing above the speed limit of 30 knots.
After alerting the captain several times without any corrective action, the first officer reportedly manually applied the brakes, in accordance with published procedures. The captain was offended by this, and reportedly punched the first officer at least four times, leaving him swelling and bruising on the back of his hand.
The whistleblower who exposed this expressed disappointment that the emergency response plan was not activated, and that a pilot with “emotionally unstable” behavior could continue the flight, potentially putting others at risk.
The airline suspended the captain pending an investigation, and is attempting to learn the details of what happened. However, the airline claims that data from the cockpit’s “quick access recorder” indicated that the plane wasn’t speeding while taxiing.
Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration is also investigating the incident, and will impose legal penalties if the crew’s actions is found to have impacted flight safety.
This kind of drama happens more often than it should
It goes without saying that pilots aren’t usually trading punches in the flight deck. That being said, when you consider how many flights operate every single day, plus that pilots rarely fly with the same person multiple times, there are bound to be situations where the atmosphere in the flight deck leaves a lot to be desired.
Admittedly the intent is that airlines have endless procedures in place (rules, checklists, etc.), to minimize the human element, and any potential issues with the “personalities” on the flight deck. The goal is that if two people are unable to get along to the point that they can’t work together, they should just voluntarily get off the plane, in acknowledgment of that. It’s a story we hear maybe once per year.
If the details here are as reported — that a first officer brought up concerns and was dismissed by the captain — unfortunately that’s a very familiar story that has contributed to many aviation incidents over the years.
For that matter, even worse is when the first officer doesn’t speak up, even though they realize something is wrong. That was the whole basis of Nathan Fielder’s “The Rehearsal” Season 2, which ended with him flying a Boeing 737 full of passengers (SO GOOD!).
Bottom line
An EVA Air Boeing 777 captain has reportedly been suspended after a flight deck altercation at LAX. According to reports, the first officer expressed concerns about the captain’s taxiing speed, which were ignored. So the first officer applied brakes himself, which caused the captain to punch him at least four times. If an investigation confirms these details, then hopefully serious disciplinary action is taken…
What do you make of this alleged EVA Air incident at LAX?
Reminds me of the Air France flight deck kerfuffle a couple years ago. However their " fight " was just so refined with slapping and throwing objects, this sounds a lot more serious.
The one advantage of being over six feet tall and built like an outdoor brick lavatory, was that my subordinates were unwilling to raise an eyebrow even …. :-)
Several years ago deplaning a Jetstar flight from SIN to MNL the cockpit door was open and the captain was berating the first officer. It was very loud and abusive. Every exiting passenger could hear. I don’t know whether it got physical but it was pretty shocking. I don’t want to be flying on planes piloted by two crew who argue or fight on the ground, since who knows what will happen if one of them gets upset during flight. They may need more mental health checks.