Apparently I’m not the only one with Delhi Belly…

All three pilots operating a British Airways flight from Hyderabad to London reportedly became ill with suspected food poisoning, with one becoming incapacitated at 30,000 feet and requiring oxygen. The Boeing 777 landed safely, but this was far too close to the plot of Airplane! for comfort.

All Three British Airways Pilots Fall Ill On Flight From India, One Incapacitated At 30,000 Feet

British Airways has launched an investigation after all three pilots operating flight BA276 from Hyderabad (HYD) to London Heathrow (LHR) reportedly developed symptoms consistent with food poisoning.

The roughly 11-hour flight was operated by a Boeing 777 with three pilots onboard, allowing crew members to rotate through rest periods during the longhaul journey.

But there was apparently very little rest on this particular flight.

One first officer became so violently ill while the aircraft was cruising at approximately 30,000 feet that he was considered incapacitated and placed on supplemental oxygen. The other two pilots also reportedly became sick, but remained capable of operating the aircraft and landing safely at Heathrow. Their symptoms worsened after arrival.

British Airways insists that flight safety was not compromised.

Technically, the flight did continue normally and land without incident. But when one of three pilots is incapacitated and the remaining two are also suffering from gastrointestinal illness during a 10.5-hour flight, it is difficult to argue that the safety margin was not reduced.

Hotel Breakfast In Hyderabad Suspected

The pilots had reportedly eaten breakfast together in the club lounge of their layover hotel before operating the flight. That meal is now suspected as the source of the illness, though no definitive cause has been publicly established.

All three pilots filed Air Safety Reports and were asked to provide stool samples in an effort to identify what made them sick. More troublingly, representatives of the British Airline Pilots’ Association reportedly claim there had already been “dozens” of hygiene complaints involving the Hyderabad hotel.

If that is accurate, British Airways has some explaining to do.

A single isolated illness can happen anywhere. Foodborne pathogens are not confined to India, nor does becoming sick automatically prove a hotel was negligent. But repeated hygiene complaints followed by all three operating pilots becoming ill on the same flight merit careful scrutiny.

British Airways said:

“The welfare of our colleagues is a top priority and we are reviewing crew accommodation in this location following some isolated reports of sickness.”

The airline is now reviewing its Hyderabad crew hotel arrangements.

This Is Why Pilots Avoid Eating The Same Meal

There is an obvious comparison here to the 1980 comedy Airplane!, in which the cockpit crew becomes incapacitated after eating contaminated fish. Surely this real incident was less dramatic, but the underlying risk is not fictional.

Airlines commonly discourage, or in some cases prohibit, the captain and first officer from eating the same inflight meal. The purpose is straightforward: if one dish is contaminated, both or all pilots should not become ill at the same time.

But that safeguard does little good if the entire augmented crew eats breakfast together before departure.

I am not suggesting pilots must eat every meal separately during a layover. That would be impractical and rather miserable. But after an incident like this, British Airways may need to reconsider whether all operating pilots should eat identical food from the same buffet immediately before a longhaul flight.

At minimum, maybe uncooked food should be banned (as I am currently learning…) and water should be sent form London?

CONCLUSION

All three British Airways pilots operating a flight from Hyderabad to London reportedly developed suspected food poisoning, with one first officer becoming incapacitated at 30,000 feet and requiring oxygen.

The remaining pilots safely landed the Boeing 777, but British Airways is now reviewing its Hyderabad crew accommodation amid reports of previous hygiene complaints. This may sound like a scene from Airplane!, but it raises a very real safety concern.

Had their symptoms progressed more rapidly, this could have become a much more serious operational emergency over a long route far from a suitable diversion airport.

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