U.S. aviation authorities are investigating after a baseball coach posted a video of himself in the cockpit of a mid-air plane.
The video, filmed aboard a United Airlines charter, was originally posted to Instagram by Colorado Rockies hitting coach Hensley Meulens.
Passengers on U.S. flights are generally prohibited from accessing plane cockpits.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating the incident.
United said it had suspended two pilots while its own investigation continued.
The incident took place on April 10, as the Rockies were traveling to Canada to face the Toronto Blue Jays.
The video shows Mr. Meulens sitting in one of the cockpit seats and pretending to take the controls. “I’m going to land the plane tonight,” he jokes.
Mr. Meulens captioned the video: “I had a great time in the cockpit of our Denver-Toronto flight. Thanks to the captain and first officer of our United charter who allowed me this great experience.” It has since been deleted.
In a statement, United Airlines said: “We are deeply troubled by what we see in this video, which appears to show an unauthorized person in the cockpit at cruising altitude while the autopilot was engaged.
“As a flagrant violation of our safety and operational policies, we reported the incident to the FAA and removed the pilots from service while we conducted an investigation.”
Rockies manager Bud Black told the Denver Post that Mr. Meulens has since apologized to the team and United Airlines, and that the incident would not affect his employment.
“I can’t really comment further due to the investigation into the matter,” Mr Black told the newspaper.
Mr. Meulens, originally from the Dutch Caribbean island of Curaçao, had a playing career in the United States, Japan, Korea and Mexico and was on the coaching staff of several teams in Major League Baseball.
The BBC has contacted Mr Meulens and the Rockies for comment.
News Source : www.bbc.com
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