On April 10, 2024, a United Boeing 757-300 chartered the Colorado Rockies made national news when hitting coach Hensley Meulens was filmed sitting in the captain’s seat of the cockpit while inflight. The video was posted to Instagram and then deleted.
This happened while the captain was reportedly in the lavatory. The captain reported the incident. United and the FAA investigated. Both pilots were fired. It’s being framed by critics as the captain being fired for reporting a safety issue. An AIR21 retaliation hearing is scheduled to begin today.
It comes down to: was she fired for what she reported, or fired because she was captain of a flight with a serious flight deck security breach?
Rockies hitting coach Hensley Meulens was filmed in the left seat while the plane was flying at around 35,000 feet. The cockpit door was open and people were moving in and out. Rockies manager Bud Black later said Meulens apologized to the team and to United, and that his job was not in jeopardy.
United called it a clear violation of safety and operational policy, reported it to the FAA, and suspended the pilots. The FAA confirmed it was investigating the violation of federal rules.
One Mile at a Time writes that the captain had gone to the restroom, and while she was out, the coach entered the cockpit and sat in her seat. After the flight, she filed a Flight Safety Action Program. The Event Review Committee allegedly accepted the report but...
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