Pilot suspended after severe turbulence hits plane

Hongkong : A pilot has been removed from flying duties after the plane he was piloting hit severe turbulence on a flight to Bangalore, India, his airline said on Wednesday.
The Dragonair Airbus A330 carrying 231 passengers and 13 crew members was rocked violently for several seconds after hitting clear-air turbulence August 2 over the Indian Ocean on its way from Hongkong.
No one was injured and the "Fasten seat belt" sign was switched on as soon as the turbulence began. However, a spokeswoman for Hongkong Dragon Airlines Ltd said a number of passengers suffered air sickness.
A report on the incident has been sent to the Hongkong Civil Aviation Department, and the spokeswoman said in a statement, "As is standard procedure in any such incident, the captain has stood down from duty while the investigation is conducted."
Passengers and cabin crew were briefed on the likelihood of turbulence before the plane took off for the 5.5-hour night flight, the spokeswoman said.
Severe turbulence has been cited as a possible cause of the Air France crash on June 2 after the Airbus A330 ran into an equatorial storm on a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris although the reason for the tragedy remained unknown.
02/09/09 The Sun Daily, Malaysia

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Categories: Foreign Sep 2009, Safety Sep 2009