Cockpit Staffing
Citing the March 24 crash of a Germanwings Airbus A320, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has issued a temporary recommendation calling on airlines to require at least two crewmembers in an airplane cockpit at all times.
“The agency recommends operators to reassess the safety and security risks associated with flight crewmembers leaving the flight crew compartment due to operational or physiological needs during non-critical phases of flight,” EASA said in Safety Information Bulletin 2015-04, issued March 27.
The temporary recommendation will be reviewed as the investigation of the Germanwings crash proceeds, EASA said.
Preliminary information from accident investigators indicated that, while he was alone in the cockpit, the A320 first officer deliberately set the autopilot for a descent to 100 ft and then modified the autopilot setting to increase the airspeed. The airplane, at Flight Level 380 (approximately 38,000 ft) en route from Ba…
