Vietnam Airlines's pilot suspended
13-06-2006 / 18:51
A Vietnam Airlines pilot and some crew members were suspended for cutting radar contact and staying out of communication for more than a hour during a commercial flight, an aviation official has said. The Vietnam Airlines Boeing 777 carrying 200 passengers lost communication for 65 minutes over Ukraine, Poland and the Czech Republic on April 17, said Duong Van Thao from the Vietnam Civil Aviation Administration.

"We suspended the flight licenses of the chief pilot and other crew members for violating flight communication rules over the airspace of three Eastern European countries," said Thao.

Vietnam News Agency said that when entering the airspace of the Czech Republic, the aircraft did not reply to communication signals sent by the country's air traffic control stations for 25 minutes.

The Czech Air Force then sent two combat jets to flank the plane and sent immediate landing signals. Only then did the two pilots turn on the communication system.

Thao said the pilot would have to undergo additional training sessions before being allowed to fly for the state-run carrier again.


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