CANADA - Pilor refused to fly plane

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Monday, November 20, 2000 Pilot refused to fly plane AirCan suspends him

By IRENE PAPAKONSTANTINOU, TORONTO SUN An Air Canada pilot is suspended after refusing to fly a Boeing 767 with faulty air conditioning.

The APU -- auxiliary power unit -- on a morning flight to Jamaica wasn't working yesterday when the plane was scheduled to take off at 10:45 a.m.

The unit is responsible for running auxiliary power on the ground, such as air conditioning, and as an emergency failsafe for electricity in the case of engine failure in the air.

"Pilots are obligated to be satisfied that an aircraft can be operated safely," said Capt. Raymond Hall, chairman of Air Canada's Pilots Association.

"It is left to their discretion whether or not to fly that plane."

WANTED TO KEEP COOL

A spokesman for Air Canada said the pilot, whom she would not name, had no concerns about the safety of the aircraft, but rather wanted to keep cool.

"An APU is largely used on ground," Renee Smith-Valade said. "The pilot in this case was concerned about the availability of auxiliary power on the ground in Montego Bay to operate the air conditioning on the ground.

NEW PLANE FOUND

"He was assured that supplementary equipment was available at the destination, however he opted not to fly," she said.

American Paul Byrne was among the 162 passengers whose flight was delayed hours while another pilot was found and a new plane was flown in from Montreal.

Smith-Valade said the only reason a second plane was used was because it became available during the delay.

Byrne said he heard the pilot was standing up for passengers' safety when he refused to fly the plane over water.

Hall said, in the case of engine failure, the APU generates power to assist the other engine until the plane can land safely.

Jets flying over water for a long periods shouldn't be operating without a functional APU, he said.

Smith-Valade said most of the flight to Jamaica is over land. http://www.canoe.ca/TorontoNews/ts.ts-11-20-0017.html

-- Doris (nocents@bellsouth.net), November 21, 2000

Answers

Doris, this story is frightening. The APU, while indeed primarily used on the ground, is also a back-up source of power should an engine fail, an event bearing no relevancy to being over water or over land. When an airplane crashes, one of the many things the investigators try to ascertain is whether or not the APU was used. I find it very hard to believe that Air Canada would take such a hard-nosed approach to the pilot's right to determine whether or not he/she deems the airplane to be airworthy. Let's hope the reporter got part of this story wrong!

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), November 21, 2000.

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