Cockpit Unmanned During Slugfest at 30,000 Feet



(New Delhi, India) Last month, an Indian Airlines pilot, co-pilot and two crew members erupted into a slugfest on an Airbus A-320 flight from Sharjah, UAE, via Lucknow to Delhi, India.

Flight IC 884 Captain Ranbir Arora and co-pilot Aditya Chopra threw fists with two members of the cabin crew, a male member of the crew, Amit Khanna, and an unidentified female member.

The cabin-vs-cockpit tiff originated on the ground in Sharjah itself and then turned into a full-blown fight once IC 884 took off soon after midnight.

The cabin crew alleged that pilots harassed a 24-year-old female colleague who later filed a molestation complaint against them with the cops after the flight landed in Delhi.

The pilots, on the other hand, accused a male flight purser of misconduct that seriously compromised flight safety, and said the accusation of molestation aimed to protect the complainant's purser friend—who has a commercial pilot licence (CPL)—from facing action.

No party denied that blows and abuses were exchanged as bewildered passengers looked on. Sources said that the female cabin crew member and the co-pilot sustained bruises.

Confirming the in-flight fight, Air India said it had ordered an inquiry and had grounded the staff members involved. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has also ordered a probe.

There were unconfirmed reports that at one stage the cockpit was unmanned, as the crew was busy fighting outside. Things allegedly degenerated to the point where the captain threatened to divert the plane to Karachi, likening the situation, sources said, to a "hijack".

It's not clear exactly how the episode transpired but it's reported that at least one person ended up bloody. Nevertheless, one might conclude that this incident provides some justification for assigning air marshals on all flights. They could keep the crew from beating the hell out of each other.

Tip: Charley Nestor