An investigation is underway by the Federal Aviation Administration and United Airlines after a member of the Colorado Rockies’ traveling party was allegedly seen on video sitting in the captain’s chair in the plane’s cockpit during the team’s flight on April 10, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The Rockies were en route to Toronto on a charter flight operated by United when the video was taken, according to the report.
Following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, federal regulations tightened around who is allowed to be on the flight deck, and United’s own flight operations manual requires the cockpit door to remain closed the way it would be on a normal commercial flight.
The FAA confirmed to the Wall Street Journal that it was looking into the alleged incident.
The video, purported to have been posted by a member of the Rockies’ staff on Instagram, allegedly showed the person sitting in the pilot’s seat while the first officer was beside him in the cockpit.
The door to the cockpit appeared to be open, and as the camera panned around the cockpit, another person who did not appear to be a member of the flight crew walked into the doorway.
The video was deleted from the person’s account, but a screen-recorded video of the original post had circulated on X.
The Journal reported the video had also been posted to YouTube and that it was unclear how long the unauthorized person had remained in the cockpit for.
“We’re deeply disturbed by what we see in that video, which appears to show an unauthorized person in the flight deck at cruise altitude while the autopilot was engaged,” United Airlines told the outlet in a statement.
“As a clear violation of our safety and operational policies, we’ve reported the incident to the FAA and have withheld the pilots from service while we conduct an investigation.”
The FAA confirmed it is investigating the matter, according to 9News.
“We do not comment on the details of open investigations,”
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