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Pilot tells passengers "I am not qualified to land the plane"

by Josh Lew (RSS feed) on Dec 17th 2008 at 1:30PM

A Flybe Airlines flight from Cardiff to Paris had to turn around because of fog at Charles De Gaulle Airport. The fog did not force the airport to close. Rather, the pilot, a man with 30 years of experience, had never completed low-visibility training for the particular aircraft that he was flying.

Passengers on the flight were stunned when, 20 minutes shy of De Gaulle, the pilot got on the PA system and, instead of announcing the imminent arrival, said the following:

'Unfortunately I'm not qualified to land the plane in Paris. They are asking for a level two qualification and I only have a level five. We'll have to fly back.'

And fly back they did. The bizarre incident is nothing if not humorous, but I doubt the passengers on the flight were amused.

A spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority said that such a situation was rare, but not unheard of. "There are different classifications of aircraft and when an aircraft is updated, pilot's who have flown an older version have to completely retrain."

Think that pilot pulled an unusual stunt? What he did is nothing compared to the stunts these girls pulled.

Filed under: Airlines, News

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)

Nashcountryboy Dec 17th 2008 2:31PM

I would rather a pilot do that than try to land in heavy FOG and KILL me. Bravo to him for putting safety first.

A Major inconvenience but at least they are ALIVE!

Jaime Dec 17th 2008 3:06PM

That's exactly what I thought when I read the article.

Gonzo Dec 17th 2008 2:21PM

Not surprised. That same sort of thing happened at LAX forcing a landing at Ontario not long ago. Numerous illegals were inconvenienced for several hours. Oh the humanity!

ashleyislegend Dec 17th 2008 3:33PM

"Several illegals" were actually legitimate vacationers. Not all South and Central Americans are desperate to get into this country. If you had half a brain, you would realize that if you go into a foreign country you have to go through customs and they make a point of finding out how long youre staying. By the way, a lot of Americans were on that flight too.

Good Work Dec 17th 2008 4:37PM

Don't let other humorless, overly-serious, and probably litigious replyers get you down - that was FUNNY, and thank you for the laugh. In spite of all odds, people with a sense of humor will prevail over PCP (Politically Correct Prudes). Everybody else can just get a life.

l Dec 17th 2008 2:22PM

Wow if I heard that over the loud speaker.... Yeah... I would kiss my own ass good bye.. WHO the hell hires a pilot who can't land a plane!?

Kate Andrews Dec 17th 2008 2:39PM

Idiot, the pilot can land the plane, but if you knew anything at all about aviation you would have realize that different weather will cause you to have to follow different sets of flight rules. You have your VFR (Visual Flight Rules) and your IFR (Instrument Flight Rules). However, even in IFR, you have different categories in which you may proceed. Sort of a how low can you go with out actually seeing the airport (or runway lights or the runway threshold). Many pilots would have tried to go ahead and shoot the approach and land below their quailified minimums, which can lead to a severe crash and death. This man, did not let the fear of what people were going to say deter him from flying safely. This veteran pilot is still around because of his safety and flying ability.

Debra Dec 17th 2008 3:18PM

I am laughing so hard, i am rolling! You said it perfectly, totally agree with you. My thoughts exactly, you put it in perfect words!!!

ASHNAT Dec 17th 2008 7:24PM

About the pilot... he thought he was flying the first plane ever made... manual control with pedals and bird wings I guess and talk about teaching old dogs new tricks... I dont know how to land a plane but as a passenger I would have called my brother in law, a trafic aircontroller, asking him to page a trainer pilot for a private lesson so the moron would have an update on today's new models...

Larry Dec 22nd 2008 3:46PM

Kate --

Yes, they wrote it to be funny, but you are correct. A pilot who flies a missed approach, or knows he is technically in violation of the flight rules and aborts the landing is the kind of guy you want up front. Be clear, there is little doubt the guy could have shot the approach successfully, but if he had, he would have (should have) been grounded for the technical rule infraction (if the system is working properly).

Larry

Lisa G. Dec 17th 2008 2:31PM

GEEZ LOUISE! Would you people rather DIE or turn around and live to tell about it??? The pilot did the responsible thing; he didn't worry about trying to save face or "inconveniencing" passengers. I know I'd rather be alive and late!

GKP Dec 17th 2008 2:43PM

GOOD JOB TO THE PILOT, I WOULD RATHER FLY BACK AND LAND SAFE, THAN BE DEAD ON THE TARMAC..

Jack Dec 17th 2008 2:47PM

The airline never expected the weather in Paris, so under normal conditions no problem. But if that pilot would have landed he would have been in deep trouble. So he did the right thing, no one was injured, which could have happened. He was a quilified pilot but his qualifation had not been up dated to that sitution with that aircraft. This could happen more if the airlines start cutting back on the pilots. The ones with the most quifilations would be the first to go because they get the most pay. So it may happen again.

Todd Hooks Dec 17th 2008 2:50PM

That is the same as a surgeon telling you that he is not qualified to do your surgery. Granted they were there, but I would rather the pilot swallow his pried and do the right thing. If the pilot had tried and crashed everyone would be screaming because he was not qualified and should have turned around. Good for the pilot.

wbrown Dec 17th 2008 2:51PM

I think the pilot did the right thing. I would not care to be the next days headlines.
Arrive Alive!!!!!!

ron Dec 17th 2008 2:52PM

All he needed to say was , the weather was to bad to land, he didnt need to give details, however because he didnt have a cat 2 endorsement isnt cause for concern, that is common, having that allows pilots to legally go lower in weather, but its not something required to be a pilot, some airlines wont let you go down to those minimums anyhow even with the rating, cause it is too dangerous, the pilot was actually being safe by not attempting to land in marginal weather, he obviously should have not given details . I wish the general public and media would start understanding that the only thing worst then not being able to get to destinations on time , is pilots who get people to there destinations on time, but increased the chances of safety by doing so, people should have been glad that this pilot didnt make the approach.

Jeff Dec 17th 2008 2:54PM

Hey, that pilot did the right thing. I would have shaken his hand and thanked him if I was on that flight

bsp aero Dec 17th 2008 2:56PM

HELLO!
Are you folks reading the same article that I read? The 30 odd year pilot has been flying the same aircraft in IMC (Instrument metorlogical conditions-Fog,rain etc.) It had some tech. upgrades that disqualified him from landing in bad weather until he has been briefed on the changes, not that he was unable or unqualified to actually fly & land the thing. He followed the rules in turning around even though I would suspect he could have landed that plane blind folded. Most folks would never step foot aboard another aircraft if they knew the truth about how little the pilot hand flies any mordern day aircraft. Once the flight plan is loaded into the flight computer, the entire flight ( takeoff & landing) can be completed by the computer. With the exception of taxing off the active runway, because of traffic, and someone needs to monitor what's going on. Enjoy your next flight.