Two pilots let a 10-year-old boy fly a plane. Now they’re in trouble.
Donning a captain’s hat, tie and black vest, a 10-year-old aspiring pilot got the chance of a lifetime when two Air Algérie pilots let him operate cockpit controls during a commercial passenger flight.
But now that pair of pilots have been suspended for doing just that, according to The Telegraph.
An orphan, the boy toured the cockpit and examined the mechanical workings of the wheels as part of a charity event, according to Algerie 360.
Algerian TV channel El Bilad broadcasted footage of the boy pushing buttons, as well as holding the wheel as the pilots instructed him to increase power, according to Aviation Herald. He was also told to change the altitude on autopilot and turn on the seat belt signs.
In an interview after the flight, one of the pilots said the boy — who sat in the left-hand pilot seat with an officer supervising him to his right — was able to control the aircraft. That is a breach of civil aviation regulations, according to The (UK) Telegraph.
“He was very disciplined, calm and attentive,” the pilot said said. “I am sure he will be a good pilot.”
Both of the pilots were grounded after the footage was broadcast, according to Algerie 360, and an investigation is now underway.
A spokeswoman for the airline called the pilot’s decision to let the boy operate controls in the cockpit an “irresponsible” decision that could have endangered the lives of passengers.
A similar incident in 1994 ended in a much more terrifying fashion when Aeroflot flight 593 crashed into a hillside after the pilot let his 12-year-old daughter and 16-year-old son on the flightdeck, according to The Seattle Times. The pilot’s son accidentally disengaged some of the plane’s autopilot controls and the plane fell into a near-vertical dive, soonafter crashing at an estimated speed of 160 miles per hour.
This story was originally published August 2, 2017 at 12:14 PM with the headline "Two pilots let a 10-year-old boy fly a plane. Now they’re in trouble.."