14 DAY TRIAL // Earlier this year, a pilot nearly lost control of the plane he was flying after one of his arms became detached from the rest of its body just as he was trying to land the aircraft, a recently released flight report says.
Before anyone jumps to conclusions, it need be said that the arm that became detached from the 46-year-old pilot's body was a prosthetic one. The artificial limb fell off suddenly and without a warning.
The incident is said to have occurred on February 12, on a Flybe flight from Birmingham to Belfast. At the time the pilot came dangerously close to failing to properly land the aircraft, the local weather was fairly windy.
The pilot says that, prior to attempting touchdown at the Belfast City Airport, he checked to see whether or not his prosthetic arm was properly attached to his body, Sky News informs.
The fake limb seemed secure enough, and so the man took the plane off the autopilot. Shortly after, the artificial arm became detached, making it nearly impossible for the 46-year-old man to properly control the aircraft.
At first, the pilot, whose identity has not yet been shared with the public, considered the possibility of asking the co-pilot to take over and land the plane. However, he soon realized that he was well capable of keeping the situation under control.
In a nutshell, the pilot used his right arm alone to steer the plane and successfully land it. Granted, the aircraft hit the ground with a bounce, but none of the passengers aboard this flight was in any way injured. Besides, the aircraft suffered no major damage.
“The senior captain referred to in this report is one of Flybe's most experienced and trusted pilots. The airline confirms that at no time was the safety of its passengers or crew compromised in any way, nor was the aircraft damaged.”
“Following the incident, Flybe immediately undertook a detailed internal investigation from which it determined a series of additional fail-safe safety checks. These were rigorously tested and instigated immediately to ensure that this type of incident could not happen again,” the airline explains in its accident report.
Talking to the press, the airline's director of flight operations and safety, Captain Ian Baston, has explained that, whenever possible, the company tries to employ people regardless of the physical disabilities they might be suffering from. Thus, Flybe takes pride in being an equal-opportunities employer.
“We do employ staff with reduced physical abilities. Where appropriate, and in accordance with Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) requirements, this does include pilots,” Captain Ian Baston has said in a statement.