Flight Crew Grounded After Pilot & Flight Attendant Got Into A Fight Over The Toilet

When you think about it, it’s rather surprising that there aren’t more fights on planes.

Humans are packed tightly together for hours on end like sardines with little room to move around.

And with crying babies and inquisitive seatmates, it’s enough to make you pull all your hair out.

But this story isn’t about any ordinary fight.

This is a story about a pilot and flight attendant who got into a fight over a toilet.

Reader: A toilet?

A toilet.

Pilot & Flight Attendant Got Into A Fight Over The Toilet

The brawl occurred on a Donghai Airlines flight from Nantong to Xian on 20 Feb this year, allegedly just 50 minutes before landing.

The pilot, Zhang Dayong, was using the bathroom when a first-class cabin passenger said he wished to use the toilet.

The pilot asked the passenger to wait at his seat, but the passenger ignored this request.

When the pilot came out of the toilet, he saw that the passenger was still standing at the door and grew angry.

He scolded the flight attendant who supervised the first-class cabin, Yang Jialin, for “not doing his job properly and affecting flying safety”, reported SCMP.

At this point, the men had two options:

1. Realise that it’s dumb to argue over a toilet-related issue mid-flight and move on
2. Literally anything but escalate the argument

So, naturally, they escalated the argument, and it evolved into a full-blown fistfight.

Yang’s arm was broken as a result, and the pilot lost a tooth.

Unfortunately for them, their scuffle was captured by a passenger and uploaded to social media, where it spread like wildfire.

Once they were made aware of the fistfight, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) launched an investigation.

Pilot’s Flying License Revoked, Executives Demoted, & Company Banned From Adding New Flights

It may have been a simple toilet argument to Yang and Zhang, but the Chinese authorities didn’t think it was a trivial matter.

Zhang has had his flying licenses revoked, meaning he is unlikely to find employment in the aviation industry in mainland China again.

The flight attendant was also given an “administrative punishment”.

As for the airline itself, it banned both the pilot and flight attendant from flying with the airline, as they “seriously violated laws and regulations of the industry and the company”.

Interestingly, Donghai Airlines also punished 15 executives with sackings, fines, and warnings.

According to SCMP, it’s not that uncommon in China for airline executives to be punished for serious safety violations.

The airline company was also banned from adding new flights or routes.

Yes, this is what happens when you have a toilet argument on a plane.

Featured Image: litabit / Shutterstock.com