Airline pilot reportedly caught texting during takeoff on flight
(FOX News) - An airline pilot flying as a passenger from Charlotte, North Carolina to Tampa, Florida reportedly was caught texting on his cellphone while the plane was taking off, in violation of federal regulations.
The Charlotte Observer reports passenger Chad Tillman used his own cellphone to capture footage of the unidentified pilot as he was texting in his seat. Both men were on an American Airlines flight, but a spokesman for American told the newspaper the pilot works for a different airline.
As soon as the plane landed in Florida, Tillman wrote a letter to American Airlines CEO Doug Parker to tell him about what he saw, according to the Observer.
“I’m sure he is a good pilot, but even a small lapse of judgment in his profession could get people killed, and it bothers me that he can so casually disregard FAA regulations in public view,” Tillman wrote.