FAA to Pilots: Cell Phones Off in the Cockpit, Please

Passengers are usually pretty well conditioned to turn off cellphones, Blackberries and laptops before departure. But what about pilots?

The good folks over at Flight Global dug up this interesting FAA safety advisory. While the story is told in subdued government-ese, this must have been a real forehead-slapping moment for the pilot that left his or her cell phone on during the safety inspector’s visit. [via The Wall Street Journal]

While conducting an en route inspection of an air carrier, an aviation safety inspector (ASI) experienced an event that was categorized as a potentially serious hazard. During the takeoff phase, just prior to reaching V1, a rather loud “warbling” sound was detected by both crewmembers. It was later determined that the sound came from the First Officer’s cellular phone, which had been left in the ON position. As a result, the ring tone caused a distraction between the crewmembers during the takeoff phase and could have led the crew to initiate an unnecessary rejected takeoff.

During a debriefing, the crew stated that their General Operations Manual (GOM) did not address procedures prohibiting the crew from leaving their cellular phones in the ON position while at their duty stations. This was verified by the ASI.

The FAA recommends that airlines review their operation manuals to ensure that pilots are reminded to turn off cellphones in preparation for departure. That goes for those occupying jump seats as well.

emily | 5:53 PM | Cell Phones while driving/flying/sailing |
The Permanent Link to this page is: http://www.textually.org/textually/archives/2009/02/022764.htm