Virgin Atlantic’s flight to New York was forced to return after the co-pilot admitted that he had not passed his last flight test.
The plane was over Ireland when the captain was told that the first officer had not completed his training. Just 40 minutes from his flight, the Airbus A330 was ordered to return to Heathrow.
The passengers landed in the United States almost three hours later than planned after the plane – which can carry nearly 300 passengers – was forced to wait on the runway until a qualified replacement was found.
The airline told passengers that the problem was caused by a rotation error and apologized. He also assured passengers that safety had not been compromised and that both pilots were fully licensed and qualified to operate the aircraft.
But a source told The Sun: “You could reduce the tension in the cockpit with a knife. The plane reached as far as Ireland, and then they realized that the first officer was still in training.
“The skipper had no choice but to return to Heathrow and find a more experienced crew member. It was awkward for everyone and the passengers were furious.
Virgin Atlantic’s flight to New York was with an Airbus A330, but was forced to return to London Heathrow (photo file)
The co-pilot needed a “final assessment flight” with a training captain to be able to fly in accordance with Virgin Atlantic policy. His role as first officer meant that he was responsible for maintaining flight safety.
As a qualified pilot, the first officers are also designed to support the captain in communicating with air traffic control and aircraft management.
Although the pairing did not violate any aviation or safety rules, it did not comply with Virgin Atlantic’s internal training protocols, so the flight was returned.
A Virgin Atlantic spokesman told MailOnline: “Due to an error in the list, flight VS3 from London Heathrow to New York-JFK returned to Heathrow on Monday, May 2 shortly after takeoff.
“The qualified first officer, who flew with an experienced captain, was replaced by a new pilot to ensure full compliance with Virgin Atlantic training protocols that go beyond industry standards.
“We apologize for the inconvenience caused to our customers, who arrived two hours, 40 minutes later than expected as a result of the crew change.”
The Airbus A330, just 40 minutes from its flight to New York, was ordered to return to Heathrow while flying over Ireland.
Sources told MailOnline that the captain of the plane has been with Virgin Atlantic for 17 years and has flown thousands of hours of flight time.
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The first officer joined in 2017 and was trained, fully licensed and fully classified in accordance with UK regulations, but was still awaiting a “final assessment” flight with Virgin Atlantic.
The flight departed from Heathrow at 9.41 am on Monday, before returning at 10.19 am, and then landed back in Heathrow at 11.12 am.
Sources added that since then, Virgin Atlantic has reviewed its internal processes and updated them in an attempt to avoid a recurrence.
A spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority said: “Virgin Atlantic has informed us of the incident. Both pilots had the appropriate license and qualifications to fly.
In order to be qualified to operate an aircraft, an individual must have an aircraft type rating and a valid license qualification check held by the first officer.
With the type and license qualification check, the pilot can legally and safely fly the aircraft in any geographical area of the world.
Virgin Atlantic is developing a linear training program and training these procedures in the first eight fields.
The “Final Assessment Flight” is a requirement of the Virgin Atlantic company to ensure that the employee works using its specific methodology.
The staff member in question was recommended as ready for their final flight to evaluate their previous flight after completing 12 recent A330 flights after their full simulator and classroom training program.
He was therefore considered safe and competent to fly, but the decision to return the aircraft to Heathrow was based on Virgin’s internal compliance requirements.
** Were you on flight Atlantic VS3 from LHR to JFK on Monday? Please email: tips@dailymail.com **
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