Airline grounds captain accused of locking out woman copilot during toilet break
Tense standoff between pilot and copilot broken by cabin crew member
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sri Lanka’s national airline grounded a captain who allegedly locked his copilot out of the cockpit after she took a mid-air toilet break.
The incident happened on a 10-hour Sri Lankan Airlines flight from Sydney to Colombo on Monday during which the woman copilot decided to take a toilet break, according to reports.
The pilot reportedly became enraged as she did not arrange for her substitute in the cockpit in line with standard operating procedures, leading to a tense standoff between the two mid-flight.
The pilot allegedly locked her out when she left to use the restroom, becoming the only person to be in the cockpit in violation of safety protocols.
The situation escalated to the point that a senior crew member on the flight had to intervene to break the standoff and have the copilot back in her chair.
The cabin crew member used a communication link to the cockpit to persuade the captain to open the door and let the co-pilot in.
Many airlines and aviation authorities enforce rules that require at least two qualified crew members to be present in the cockpit at all times during a flight. This rule was reinforced after incidents where lone pilots were left in control of the cockpit, leading to safety concerns.
In 2015, all 144 passengers and six crew members died on a Germanwings Flight 9525 after its pilot locked himself in the cockpit and deliberately crashed the plane. The incident has led to several airlines tightening the rules around cockpit occupancy.
In 2022, two pilots of Air-France were suspended following a physical altercation in the cockpit. The two pilots exchanged blows during the flight which eventually landed safely.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments