Pilot and chief steward start fighting mid-flight in row over first class passenger

The two crew members were injured on board the Donghai Airlines flight (Picture: Getty Images)

A passenger jet captain and chief steward are under investigation after they started fighting during a flight. The pair are said to have got into a tussle when the captain emerged from the bathroom to find a passenger for first class waiting directly outside.

He accused the member of cabin crew of not fulfilling his duties by making the passenger wait in their seat on the Donghai Airlines flight late last month. They then exchanged blows, leaving the steward with a broken hand and the captain with a chipped tooth, according to Chinese media.

The fight broke out 50 minutes from the plane’s destination of Xi’an after a two-and-a-half-hour flight from the coastal city of Nantong. Both members of staff have been suspended and Donghai Airlines said it is reviewing its safety protocols.

The Civil Aviation Administration said it took the reported incident extremely seriously and was collecting further information. Any incident endangering flight safety would be ‘dealt with strictly under the law,’ it stated late on Monday. China’s fast-growing aviation sector has a strong safety record, although there have been previous incidents of passengers opening emergency exits while waiting for takeoff, brawling with staff onboard and even tossing coins into the jet engine inlet, allegedly for good luck.

 MORE : Boeing says 777s with same engine as plane that set on fire mid-flight should be grounded

 

 

 

Source:metro.co.uk/