Two pilots of the national carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines are being investigated for putting the lives of passengers at risk after they allegedly went shopping while keeping plane engine operational at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand.
The pilots- Captain Amin and his co-pilot rushed to the duty free shop of the airport putting the plane on active Auxiliary Power Unit (APU).
The cabin crew, led by chief purser, were busy arranging seats for the passengers. Incredibly, the main commanding officers of the flight, the pilots, were not in cockpit at that time, reports Bengali newspaper
Jugantor.
Aviation expert Ashish Roy Chowdhury told the newspaper the pilot should be at the cockpit when the APU is active and passengers on board. There could be fire or any incident of security breach. Pilots are responsible to handle such incidents.
“Pilot needs to have non-stop communication with ground service mechanics during flight preparations. There is a possibility of big accidents if the pilot is not at the cockpit,” the aviation expert added.
Biman authorities have not taken any action against the pilots though the incident occurred around 20 days ago. Even, Biman Flight Operations Department tried to cover up the incident, but had to form an investigation committee following pressure from Civil Aviation’s Flight Operations Department. But the pilots still remain unpunished.
Sources said, Civil Aviation Authority’s Flight Operation Inspector Captain Salauddin Ahmed and Chief of Flight Safety of Biman Bangladesh Airlines Captain Shoaib Chowdhury were passengers of the same flight. They were returning to Dhaka after completion of their training in Bangkok.
They went to meet the pilots, but were surprised to see not one of two pilots at the cockpit. The pilots were not even on the plane. Someone informed them that the pilots had gone shopping at the airport’s duty-free shop. All passengers had boarded the plane by that time.
After refuelling the plane, the ground service mechanics were scared as no one from the cockpit replied when they were calling on the walkie-talkie to release the nose-wheel safety pin.
An emergency call was made from the flight asking the pilots to return to the cockpit fast. They arrived in a rush after a long time and took their seats in the cockpit without giving the aeroplane a round.
Captain Salauddin Ahmed scolded the pilots for their callousness and asked authorities concerned to take tough action against them.
However, Captain Amin could not be reached over his phone. Flight Operation Department source said he was out of the country.
Chowdhury Zia Ul Kabir, director of Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) told the newspaper that he learned about the incident from the flight safety department. “Necessary steps will be taken after getting the investigation report,” he added.
This is not the first time Biman pilots have been accused of unprofessional behaviour. Earlier two other pilots took off with the plane without releasing the safety pin of the wheel. The flight made an emergency landing after 50 minutes, but no one was punished in that incident as well.
Biman has 117 pilots; sources told the newspaper that several allegations of indiscipline and corruption have been raised against 20-25 of them.