The Captain of an EasyJet flight from London Luton to Agadir, Morocco somehow managed to ‘dislocate his shoulder’ as he was sitting in the cockpit while the plane was at 37,000 feet. The pilot was left in so much pain that the First Officer had to take over command of the aircraft and make an emergency landing in Faro, Portugal.
The Airbus A320 aircraft landed safely and without further incident less than 20 minutes after it diverted off course and the Captain was transported to a local hospital for treatment. The return flight on Monday had to be cancelled and passengers to put up in hotels for the night as another Captain was found to operate the plane.
Citing medical confidentiality, a spokesperson for EasyJet refused to say why the Captain became incapacitated but sources at Faro airport have said it was due to a shoulder injury incurred during the flight.
“EasyJet can confirm that flight EZY2213 from Luton to Agadir diverted to Faro due to the captain requiring medical assistance,” the airline said in an emailed statement.
“The First Officer landed the aircraft in line with standard operating procedures and the Captain was met by paramedics on arrival,” the statement continued.
A group of pilots who work for British Airways but who operate the same A320 series aircraft as EasyJet are suing their employer over alleged spinal and neck injuries that they claim were caused by straining to look at a security camera monitor located in the cockpit.
Pilots have to check the so-called Cockpit Door Surveillance System before unlocking the cockpit to avoid a 9/11 style terror attack but on some aircraft, the monitor has been fitted behind their crew seats. The crew seat doesn’t swivel so pilots are forced to twist in their seats to look at the monitor.
The group of 16 pilots allege that the constant twisting and turning involved in viewing the CDSS has resulted in a variety of neck and spinal injuries. British Airways is fighting the lawsuit which amounts to a total of £250,000 in damages.
