Air India Flight Delayed For Hours After Ground Engineer And Pilot Fight It Out Inside Cockpit

An Air India flight bound for Paris was delayed by several hours for one of the weirdest reasons you might have ever come across. According to the Indian Express, the Air India Flight 143, which was scheduled to fly from the southern Indian city of Chennai to Paris, was delayed by several hours after an argument broke out between a ground engineer a the pilot.

The argument soon turned out into a full-fledged scuffle as the two men threw blows at each other — inside the cockpit of the aircraft. According to NDTV, after the scuffle, the pilot locked himself up in the cockpit and refused to de-board the plane. The ground engineer, who was injured in the fight, was reportedly taken to a hospital, where he insisted on filing a police complaint against the pilot.

Officials later forced the adamant pilot to open the cockpit doors. He was taken for a medical examination to ascertain the nature of injuries (if any) he received. Air India has also de-rostered the pilot till an inquiry into the fight clears him of charges of assault. The NDTV report has also revealed the first names of the men involved in the scuffle. The pilot was simply identified as Maniklal, while the engineer was known as Kannan.

Meanwhile, an Air India spokesperson has confirmed that the pilot has been taken off the roster and would not be flying again very soon.

“The commander (pilot) of the flight has been taken off the roster. The incident is being investigated by the management.”

An Air India spokesperson GP Rao has said that authorities have ordered an inquiry into Saturday’s incident.

Meanwhile, it was a harrowing time for the passengers who were supposed to board the long haul flight. After peace was established, Air India officials had to bring in a fresh crew to man the aircraft. Air India Flight 143 did eventually take-off after a near five-hour-long delay. There were 142 passengers on board the aircraft when it finally took off. There were several transit passengers aboard Air India Flight 143 who will now miss their connecting flights from Paris.

The actual cause of the scuffle between the two men have not been revealed yet. Air India officials have said that they have ordered an inquiry into the matter. India’s airline regulatory agency, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), is also looking in to the matter.

[Image Via Wikimedia Commons ]