DENVER – Federal transportation authorities are investigating an unauthorized visit to the cockpit of a coach for the Colorado Rockies baseball team during a United Airlines charter flight last week from Denver to Toronto.
A video surfaced this week that appears to show Rockies hitting coach Hensley Meulens sitting in the pilot’s seat while the April 10 flight was at cruising altitude. It is against federal regulations for unauthorized persons to be on the flight deck.
He can be seen and heard in the video joking with others in the cockpit — including one person in a pilot’s uniform and at least one other person who does not appear to be an airline employee — and says the plane is at 35,000 feet (10,670 feet). meters).
“Flying by plane, here to Toronto,” Meulens says as he points to the uniformed person sitting next to him.
“I’m going to land the plane tonight. So relax,” he says. He then reaches toward the flight controls and pretends to hold them, saying, “I just press this button… and it goes down.”
Meulens posted the video on social media and later deleted it, but it had already gone viral and was reposted, The Denver Post reported. He could not immediately be reached for comment at the Rocky Mountain administrative offices.
United has suffered a series of problems in recent weeks, including a piece of aluminum falling from one plane, a tire falling from another during takeoff and an engine fire. The Federal Aviation Administration has stepped up oversight of the carrier and the airline’s CEO has sought to reassure travelers that the airline is safe.
A United spokesperson said the airline was conducting its own investigation into the April 10 flight. The airline said the cabin visit was “a clear violation of our safety and operational policies” and was reported to the Federal Aviation Administration.
“We are deeply disturbed by what we see in that video, which appears to show an unauthorized person in the cockpit at cruising altitude while the autopilot was engaged,” said United spokesman Russell Carlton.
The flight’s pilots have been removed from duty while the airline investigates, Carlton said.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Chris Mullooly said the agency was investigating but did not provide further details because it is an open investigation.
“Federal regulations restrict flight deck access to specific individuals,” he said.
The cockpit visit was previously reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Rocky Mountain officials did not immediately respond to emails and phone messages seeking comment. Major League Baseball said it was aware of and monitoring the Federal Aviation Administration’s investigation.
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