Air France Pilots come to blows in flight.

There are media reports of an Air France flight deck crew coming to blows during a flight from Geneva to Paris in June this year. The French investigation body (BEA) has reported on the incident and it seems that the plots are suspended. The reason for the altercation is not known but it would be seen as a totally unacceptable situation on any flight deck by any airline I have known, especially during flight.

Well run airlines run courses on crew interaction and cooperation to ensure the best and safest operation of their aircraft. Only if one pilot was intent on endangering the aircraft could physical intervention be considered acceptable and it raises serious questions about the culture in Air France.

Most pilots will have flown with another crew member who they do not particularly take to but it is incumbent on them to operate in a professional manner and resolve any differences in a calm professional manner. If any further discussion of an issue is required, it should be done after flight and away from the aircraft and airside operations. There are some examples of tricky crew relationships in my book, in order to demonstrate both the potential hazards and how to deal with less than ideal situations

In a second culturally relates incident at Conakry, Guinea, a motorcycle carrying two, “security personnel,” attempted to cross in front of a TAP Airbus A320 that had just landed. They, and the motorcycle we ingested into one of the engines, with fatal results. An awful way to die of ignorance. It also closed the airport; so a short cut to work had some major consequences.