An American Airlines pilot has been praised by social media users after he refused to fly a plane full of passengers due to a ‘gut feeling’ that something wasn’t right.
A video shared by TikTok user @johnnyjet showed the moment the pilot made the announcement as they prepared to set off to Hawaii from Los Angeles in April 2024.
The captain can be overheard speaking over the announcement system while passengers, who had already experienced delays due to engine issues, were seated.
Though he had initially been told the plane was technically safe to fly, he announced to passengers he would not fly because he wasn’t comfortable with the oil pressure in the second engine ‘trending upwards.’
He explained that he wasn’t confident about the fuel pressure, and added that a fuel system filter replacement was set to be installed once the aircraft had returned to the States from Hawaii.
The pilot continued: ‘They said that the plane is good to go – but I’m not really feeling it. I’m not gonna leave the ground if I’m not completely certain that we have an airworthy aircraft.
‘I don’t know if we have another airplane here at the airport – I hate to do this to you but this is one of those tough calls that I have to make.’
He went on to thank passengers for their patience and kindly asked them to exit the aircraft.
An American Airlines pilot has been praised by social media users after he refused to fly a plane full of passengers due to a ‘gut feeling’ that something wasn’t right
A video shared by TikTok user @johnnyjet showed the moment the pilot made the announcement as they prepared to set off to Hawaii from Los Angeles
Despite the inconvenience, passengers appeared to appreciate the pilot’s transparency and decision to prioritise their safety by giving him a round of applause.
On TikTok, the pilot’s announcement was met with a warm reception from scores of viewers, as one noted: ‘I would not be mad at him at all.’
Another wrote: ‘If my pilot says “I’m not really feeling it” I am big on gut intuition, he probably prevented a disaster.’
A third said: ‘I’d rather hear “I’m not leaving the ground” rather than “please fasten your seatbelts, put on the nearest life jacket, maybe some goggles, and brace for impact into the ocean people.”‘
The pilot said: ‘They said that the plane is good to go – but I’m not really feeling it. I’m not gonna leave the ground if I’m not completely certain that we have an airworthy aircraft.’
On TikTok, the pilot’s announcement was met with a warm reception from scores of viewers
Finally, another viewer added: ‘I see nothing wrong here… I applauded too, myself.’
Meanwhile, passengers on a flight from Lisbon to Manchester were left stunned when the pilot admitted he held their flight up because he ‘couldn’t give the crew sandwiches.’
The easyJet plane was fully boarded and ready to go on Sunday when the pilot took to the intercom to deliver the excuse to the passengers, a video clip shows.
The pilot is seen explaining over the intercom that he decided to delay the flight so that he could source some better food for his crew.
