Allegations after AUA flight hit by hail: Was a pilot not in the cockpit?

The key question is whether the pilots underestimated the situation. According to Austro Control, the storm was known. “We ask for your understanding that we will not comment on ongoing investigations and will await the results of the investigation,” AUA said in response to an APA query. The company stressed on Saturday that in addition to an internal investigation that has already been initiated, the Federal Safety Investigation Board (SUB) will also initiate an external investigation, which will have to be awaited. The pilots have now been released from flight duty for seven days – as is usual in such cases, according to AUA.

Read also: AUA flight got caught in a storm: “Everyone was screaming”

Training or education planned

After evaluating the flight data and initial findings, a coordinated training or course will be scheduled for the affected Airbus A320 crew if necessary. After completing this, the crew will be brought back into flight service – also with the support of flight instructors.

According to AUA, the cockpit crew did not see the storm cell on the weather radar. However, the flight meteorology department of the Austrian aviation authority Austro Control pointed out the “danger of storms with hail in the region” for the period of the requested flight. The “weather forecasts and event-related weather warnings for en-route traffic that comply with international standards” were also published. This aviation-specific weather information is used in particular before the flight to prepare and plan the intended route, which is submitted and specified by the airline in the respective flight plan. This weather data is also provided to the airlines and pilots around the clock and is continuously updated.

More on the topic: AUA flew through hailstorm: investigation initiated

However, Austro Control stressed that air traffic control does not issue instructions regarding weather-related flight route changes during a flight. “The decision about a necessary diversion can and may only be made by the pilot in charge on the basis of the information available on board about the specific weather situation immediately in front of the aircraft in question, in particular using on-board weather radar.” Critics are therefore now asking why the pilots did not fly around the storm.

Was a pilot not in the cockpit?

The “Süddeutsche Zeitung” also reported that one of the pilots was apparently not in the cockpit during the descent because he had gone to the toilet. Regardless of the weather, there is much more to do during this phase of the flight than at cruising altitude, so both should generally be in their seats during this phase, wrote the “SZ”. The AUA also referred to the ongoing investigations, but the airline emphasized that the cockpit crew on this flight was “very experienced in their role in terms of total flight hours and flight hours on the A320 aircraft type.” The Austrian aviation magazine “Austrian Wings” had reported that one pilot had “only 100 hours of flight experience” on the aircraft type in question. The AUA commented: “Media reports that a person should only have 100 hours of flight experience are incorrect.”

The Airbus A320 on its way from Palma de Mallorca to Vienna got caught in a thunderstorm last Sunday evening. The emergency call “Mayday” was initially sent. The plane nevertheless landed safely at Vienna Airport and no passengers were injured.