Two Pilots Get Violent With Each Other Mid-Air In Flight From London

Two pilots were grounded Thursday after they fought in the cockpit of an Indian airlines flight from London to Mumbai on due to a "misunderstanding."

Jet Airways grounded two senior pilots commanding a London-Mumbai flight with 324 people on board after the commander flying as co-pilot allegedly slapped the lady commander mid-flight, the Times of India reported. The fight happened on Jet Airways flight 9W 119 soon after Jet's Boeing 777 took off for its 9-hour journey

According to the report, the female pilot left the cockpit in tears and the cabin crew tried to comfort her and send her back to the cockpit. The male pilot kept calling the crew from the intercom in the cockpit, asking them to send her back into the cockpit, according to the Indian publication the Economic Times.

"After a while, the commander came out of the cockpit, leaving it unmanned and the plane on autopilot, which is a major safety hazard," an unnamed source, who was not authorized to speak to the media, was quoted as saying by the Economic Times. The female pilot then returned to the cockpit.

"However, they had a fight for the second time following which she came out again. This time, the cabin crew was quite afraid of the fight happening in the cockpit. They requested her to go to the cockpit and fly the plane safely to its destination," another unnamed source told the Times of India.

She then returned to the cockpit and the plane landed in Mumbai safely.

A Jet Airways spokesperson told the International Business Times in a statement the fight was due to a "misunderstanding" but was "quickly resolved."

"A misunderstanding occurred between the cockpit crew of Jet Airways flight 9W 119, London - Mumbai of Jan. 01, 2018," the spokesperson confirmed.

"However, the same was quickly resolved amicably and the flight with 324 guests including 2 infants and 14 crew continued its journey to Mumbai, landing safely. The airline has reported the incident to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the concerned crew have been derostered pending an internal investigation that has since been initiated. At Jet Airways, safety of guests, crew and assets is of paramount importance and the airline has zero tolerance for any action of its employees that compromises safety," the spokesperson said.

Terming the incident a "serious issue," DGCA chief BS Bhullar told Times of India: "We have ordered an investigation into this and have suspended the privileges of co-pilot's license pending the probe."

The Economic Times stated that Indian aviation norms required at least two persons be present in the cockpit anytime in flight.

"It requires at least 45 seconds to punch in the code on the door to enter the cockpit, which is too less if an autopilot gets disengaged. Also, what if the door lock got jammed, the plane would have been flying without anyone in the cockpit," according to their source.