Air India Pilot Locked Out Of Cockpit After Toilet Break
BBC NEWS, ASIA
May 14, 2013: An Air India flight was forced to land after the pilot was locked out of the cockpit during a toilet break, the airline says. He was unable to gain access to the cockpit because of a jammed door.
Flight AI 403 traveling from Delhi to Bangalore, was diverted to Bhopal Airport on Monday.
The airline has been plagued by financial difficulties in recent years, with its 787 Dreamliner jets grounded in January by safety concerns.
"The commander of the flight had left the cockpit for a short while to visit the toilet and on returning to the cockpit found the door locked. The door had got jammed and all efforts to open the door, even from inside by the co-pilot, failed," an Air India statement said.
"The co-pilot, after taking permission from ground control, diverted the flight to Bhopal and landed...at 17:55 hrs."
Ground maintenance engineers fixed the door and the plane continued its journey less than three hours later, Air India adds