United Airlines Flight Delayed After Pilot Spills Coffee in Cockpit

A United Airlines flight from Chicago O’Hare to San Juan was forced to return to the gate after the pilot accidentally spilled coffee in the cockpit of an Airbus A321neo.

The incident occurred during taxiing and caused a delay of about three hours before the aircraft was able to take off safely. The disruption also impacted the return flight from San Juan to Chicago, which was delayed as a result of the spill.

Aviation blog View From the Wing noted that such incidents can be serious: “Spilling much more than a little bit in the cockpit would certainly have canceled the flight. Not only does the spill need to be cleaned, but whatever was spilled on needs to be inspected as well.”

While the FAA’s sterile cockpit rule prohibits non-essential activities during critical flight phases, it does not specifically ban drinking liquids. In this case, the outcome was minor compared to a 2019 incident, when a coffee spill on a flight from Frankfurt to Cancun filled the cockpit with smoke, forcing an emergency landing at Shannon Airport in Ireland and sending five crew members to the hospital.

This latest incident highlights the unexpected ways even small accidents can disrupt airline operations and lead to costly delays for both airlines and passengers.


Related News: https://airguide.info/?s=united+airlines, https://airguide.info/category/air-travel-business/travel-health-security/

Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, yahoo.com