Air India has suspended the captain and two female cabin crew members of its flight AI 133 from Bangkok to Delhi on April 12 after an internal inquiry confirmed that the cabin crew members were closeted in the cockpit for a "prolonged period".
According to the AI inquiry report, the flight, which had seven air hostesses and two pilots on board, saw the auto pilot button getting accidently "disconnected" while cruising at 33,000 feet with 166 passengers on board.
Sources in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the two air hostesses were in the cockpit for most of the duration of the flight, which is in violation of safety rules.
The incident came to light through a disclosure made by a member of the crew after the flight landed in Delhi. The information was given under a voluntary disclosure scheme, under which a member of the crew can independently inform the management about any incident that might have led to a safety issue during the flight.
03/05/13 Indian Express
