Air India pilots, crew slug it out in Fist Fight at 30,000 ft

Published on October 3rd, 2009

Air India pilots, crew slug it out at 30,000 ft – The Times of India – Remind me not to fly on this carrier.

The Maharaja witnessed his first in-flight Mughal-e-Azam at 30,000 feet above sea level on Saturday, as two members of the cabin crew—one male and one female—slugged it out with the pilot and co-pilot.

Endangering the lives of 106 passengers and grossly violating safety norms, the airline staffers came to blows in the cockpit and galley of the Indian Airlines Airbus A-320 as the aircraft cruised over Pakistan en route to Delhi via Lucknow from Sharjah.

The cabin-vs-cockpit tiff originated on the ground in Sharjah itself and then turned into a full-blown fight once IC 884 took off soon after midnight.

Found by Brian Thomson via Twitter.

24 users responded in " Air India pilots, crew slug it out in Fist Fight at 30,000 ft "

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# 1 Cap'nKangaroo said, on October 3rd, 2009 at 5:41 pm

“The DGCA is fuming at the gross violation of safety norms on IC 884. “The airline didn’t even inform us of this incident in time. We’re going to summon the crew members on Monday. This incident is shocking and we may need to take exemplary action,” said a senior official.”

Wonder if the cockpit voice recorder is in investigators hands or if “technical difficulties” render it useless.

# 2 mc hammer said, on October 3rd, 2009 at 5:53 pm

I do wonder if john just hates Indians…

# 3 MikeN said, on October 3rd, 2009 at 6:19 pm

So is it Air India or Indian Airlines?

# 4 Luc said, on October 3rd, 2009 at 6:23 pm

That’s what happens when you have Democrats and Republicans in the same crew.

I’m pretty sure this is all Bush’s fault, although it could also be Obama’s.

# 5 Skippy said, on October 3rd, 2009 at 7:24 pm

#4, more like this is what happens when you put people of different religious backgrounds in the same crew. The history of the world is formed by people fighting over who has the better imaginary friend.

# 6 Zybch said, on October 3rd, 2009 at 7:26 pm

Way back in 88′ I flew Air India Australia to England, and let me tell you guys I have never, and will never fly with that airline again.
It was the single worst flying experience I’ve ever experienced and, forgive the stereotypes, the only Indians able to fly at all were the rich arrogant ones who thought they were more important than god and could do what the hell they liked coz they had money. A more selfish and rude bunch of co-passengers I have never been among.

# 7 bobbo, how quickly we adapt said, on October 3rd, 2009 at 7:53 pm

Well, before there was politics there was money and the class perceptions that go with it. Lots of room there for tempers to flare up.

But before there was money/class there was religion. Lots of room there for tempers to flare up.

But before there was religion there was sex.

The root cause of this was the “molestation” of the female hostitute with the male co-pilot with the male steward interloping. Lots of room there for tempers to flare up.

Obviously, the silver back in waiting could not brook the interference of a mere pack male.

Still, I can’t tell what was more the casual agent here. Women outside the kitchen, or young males with their first pilots license testing their limits.

It’s a puzzler.

# 8 Waltersobchack said, on October 3rd, 2009 at 8:46 pm

I have this mental image of an airplane packed full of people like a train.

People sitting cross legged on the wings and roof with their bags, hanging out of the windows, maybe some kids hitching a ride on the landing gear.

# 9 deowll said, on October 3rd, 2009 at 9:47 pm

Not relgion nor politics but sex and bad manners. Okay. Well maybe the higer caste exploiting the lower cast?

Making a distinction between religion and politics may not be valid for many people or maybe its tribalism with blind unthinking loyalty to the tribe of choice?

# 10 sargasso said, on October 3rd, 2009 at 11:46 pm

All out fist and bottle brawls are quite common, on passenger flights. Try flying with a loosing Australian rugby league team after a rough all-nighter in Brisbane nightclubs. I have seen a petite gay chief steward wrestle and subdue a drunk and doped up 250 pound lock forward face first to the ground with the subtle and delicious skill of a Aikido black belt. Had I only known about http://www.gotomeeting.com I would have been spared the trauma.

# 11 Alfred1 said, on October 3rd, 2009 at 11:51 pm

If the attendants “won”, who did they think would land the plane?

Boggles the mind.

# 12 brian t said, on October 4th, 2009 at 1:16 am

This story caught my eye because I flew Air India from Bangalore to Dubai in 2007. I’ve heard of flights being overbooked, but this was the first I’d heard of *overboarding*. There were more people with boarding passes than there were seats. My seat was double-booked, but the flight attendant took one look at my face and left me alone. Still, we managed to get away on 90 minutes late, and the flight itself was pleasant enough.

# 13 Rick Cain said, on October 4th, 2009 at 3:52 am

Thats what he gets for talking crap about Lord Ganesha.

# 14 pedro said, on October 4th, 2009 at 4:04 am

#2 Sure. And he found a web page of Hindu self-haters to make his point. Save your brain for someone else, it seems most of your braincells are intact.

# 15 dannythedog said, on October 4th, 2009 at 4:15 am

I guess the pilot was upset with the sh&tty food, that was being served!

# 16 Dirk Thundernuts said, on October 4th, 2009 at 4:38 am

#2 – I do.

# 17 Copyfreely said, on October 4th, 2009 at 4:59 am

Could you please provide credit to the copyright holders of the works you incessantly use without permission?

# 18 pedro said, on October 4th, 2009 at 5:22 am

#17 – I guess one has to be a moron like you to miss the link to the source below the pic.

# 19 Personality said, on October 4th, 2009 at 5:54 am

It seems that a lot of people from India have a temper. At least the ones I have met… Or spoke to on the other end of “customer service” calls.

# 20 Special Ed said, on October 4th, 2009 at 5:57 am

#17:

# 21 mc hammer said, on October 4th, 2009 at 9:07 am

I guess Indians are the new Black…

# 22 Special Ed said, on October 4th, 2009 at 12:41 pm

#21 – Hopefully the Pack of Stanleys will take care of them.

# 23 Special Ed said, on October 4th, 2009 at 12:44 pm

Ed. – hey, the numbering got hosed up here and Pedro and I should have been pointing to #17 now.

/holy shit, I’m defending Pedro.

[Fixed. - ed.]

# 24 Sister Mary Hand Grenade of Quiet Reflection said, on October 4th, 2009 at 12:50 pm

What an India Airline waitress looks like.

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