KM flight with trainee pilot turns back after leaving without instructor captain
The cadet had been assigned to a regular captain rather than an instructor
A KM Malta Airlines flight bound for Paris and co-piloted by a trainee pilot was forced to return to Malta on Saturday morning after departing without a qualified instructing pilot.
Times of Malta understands that flight KM478 was forced to turn back after it transpired that the cadet had been assigned to a regular captain rather than one authorised to carry out training.
Flight data captured by aviation traffic website FlightRadar24 shows the plane deviating from its flight path just under 30 minutes into the trip, before heading northeast and looping past the Sicilian coast on the way back to Malta.
The plane adopted a holding position to burn fuel, reducing its weight, before landing at MIA. Scheduled to depart Malta at around 6am, the aircraft was in the air for around an hour and a half, including holding time.
The plane looped past Sicily on its way to Malta. Screenshot: FlightRadar24.In a statement, KM Malta Airlines said that shortly after departure, the captain “became aware that the crew composition did not meet the company's internal operational requirements and took the decision to return to Malta”.
“This was a precautionary, procedural decision fully in line with the company's safety-first culture and supported by the company,” the airline said.
KM stressed that the aircraft, its airworthiness and the qualifications of the crew were not in question, and at no point was the health and safety of passengers endangered.
The airline apologised to affected passengers, adding that an investigation was underway to determine why the error occurred and to prevent it from happening again.