A Houston-based Southwest Airlines pilot was just suspended after a rant from his cockpit transmitted to control towers and other pilots in the area.
The problem was that the pilot’s microphone was malfunctioning and left on accidentally. The microphone mishap left other pilots within a certain altitude guidelines in a dangerous situation as they were unable to communicate with Houston Center air traffic controllers for the entire four-minute rant.
During his four-minute rant, the pilot said he was stuck with no one dateable instead, 11 gay flight attendants and one “granny.” He didn’t stop there, the pilot went on saying that during, “Six months, I went to the bar three times, three times. Once with the granny and the f** and I wish I hadn’t gone.”
The pilot explained how he also went out with two girls, “One of them that was probably do-able but we ended up going to the bar and then the crew room in St. Louis and all the women wanted to do was, one wanted to berate her sister and the other wanted to bitch about her husband. Literally. For three hours.” He went on,” I’m like, ‘Why the **** did I stay up?'”
A controller comes on to say, “We don’t need to hear that,” and another voice chimes in, “They wonder why airline pilots have a bad reputation.”
According to USA Today, the pilot was suspended and was required to undergo diversity training.
According to the Wall Street Journal, in a statement, the FAA said the conversation “included offensive language and disparaging characterizations of certain groups and individuals. The FAA expects a higher level of professionalism from flight crews.”