Crewet som røkte i cockpit fikk sparken - CNN

Vaping co-pilot caused Air China plane to plummet, officials say

By Steven Jiang, CNN

Updated 1453 GMT (2253 HKT) July 13, 2018

Hoby Sun was on board the Air China flight when it suddenly
lost pressure and altitude.

Beijing (CNN)A co-pilot smoking an electronic cigarette in
the cockpit of an Air China flight caused the plane to suddenly
drop 6,000 meters (19,600 feet) when he mistakenly turned off
its air conditioning system.

A senior official from the Civil Aviation Administration of China
(CAAC) told reporters Friday that, without notifying the pilot, the
unnamed co-pilot was trying to turn off air recycling fans to
prevent the vapor from spreading into the passenger cabin.

Instead, he toggled the wrong switches, which were close to
his intended target, leading to a drop in oxygen levels that
triggered altitude warnings.

Qiao Yibin, the CAAC official, promised to hand down "severe
punishment in accordance with laws and regulations," if the
regulator's final conclusion on the incident matches its initial
'finding.

Air China fired the entire flight deck crew and suggested CAAC
revoke their pilot's licenses upon completing its investigation,
the country's flag carrier said Friday night in a statement.