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Portugal now insists on two pilots in cockpit at all times

Portugal now insists on two pilots in cockpit at all timesFollowing the tragedy of Germanwings flight 4U 9525, in which 150 people died, all airlines based in Portugal are now obliged to ensure they have two pilots in the cockpit of every flight at all times. The announcement was made by Secretary of State for Transports Sérgio Monteiro on the recommendation of INAC, Portugal’s civil aviation authority.

It thus binds TAP, SATA, Euroatlantic, White and HiFly airways.

The news comes as bit by bit countries all over the world are agreeing no flight should ever be left in the sole charge of one pilot.

Australia announced its new two-pilot-in-the-cockpit ruling on Monday and Canada, Germany and companies easyJet and Norwegian Air Shuttle are also now ‘onboard’ with strict new controls.

America already had a “tight rule” that requires two crew members on the flight deck at all times, so the Federal Aviation Authority may not introduce any policy changes.

But professor of aviation and aerospace science at Denver’s Metropolitan State University Kevin Kuhlmann admitted that the US rule may not be enough.

He told the Denver Post that it “wouldn't necessarily stop a pilot from crashing a plane if the pilot could overpower the flight attendant temporarily occupying the cockpit seat”.

Thus it remains to be seen whether new rules are brought in regarding access to a cockpit locked from the inside.

This news story was reproduced with kind permission of the Algarve Resident. For more news, see: www.portugalresident.com.

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Comments  

-10 #4 Damien 2015-04-04 10:30
As one of the crash investigating authorities at the time of the November 2013 Mozambique 'suicide by pilot' aircrash - Portugal could have done the world a big favour by going public on the fact that 'Someone was pounding on the cockpit door as the plane went down'.

Once again one pilot leaving the cockpit for the toilet and not being allowed back in. The remaining pilot then re-setting the altitude to below ground level and accelerating.

So that the world would have been more aware that the problem exists and that 2 pilots in the cockpit at all times could have been implemented sooner before this Germanwings crash .... ?

http://www.vox.com/2015/3/26/8294971/pilot-suicide-crash
-8 #3 Robert Thompson 2015-04-03 16:25
No one takes seriously that option of 'scrutiny from the ground'.

Even at the time of 9/11 it was known that an airliner could be controlled from the ground or outside (ie in another plane)

OK a portaloo would be a simpler option but if the pilot wanting a wee signalled ground control ... ground control could re-set the auto pilot or whatever. If the remaining pilot was playing games ...

And a master code - changed with each flight - could over ride the locked door.
-7 #2 liveaboard 2015-04-03 09:04
So now we have another player introduced to the cockpit who could [if a psychokiller] disable the pilot and crash the plane.
The fact is that there is no defense against this problem. The aircraft is in the hands of the pilot [or copilot on occasion]. A flight attendant in the cockpit will not prevent a nutcase from committing mass murder. Even forcing both pilots to pee into a bottle will ad little security.
It's still safer than driving. those lorry and bus drivers aren't tested of scrutinized very much.
-7 #1 Peter Booker 2015-04-03 08:41
In the USA they need two crew members, and in Europe we need two pilots in the cockpit at all times. But what if they are both suicidal depressives?

All this is a bit knee-jerk, isn´t it? The reason that the captain of the Germanwings aeroplane could not get back into the cockpit was that the door had been locked. The lock was to prevent terrorists from accessing the cockpit, in a previous knee-jerk response.

How about assessing pilots for mental illness? It is easy to say in hindsight, but this man Lubitz should never have been piloting an aeroplane.

I am shocked at the seeming complaisance of the authorities that such a man was in charge of an airliner and 150 lives. There are certain jobs which depressives should not do, and piloting airliners is one of them.

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