New Delhi (Sputnik): India's national carrier Air India is in the news but for the wrong reasons. In what is being reported as the world's first case of nomophobia leading to a flight delay, an Air India pilot pulled up the aircraft even while it was already taxiing to take flight, only to return a mobile handset his colleague, a ground staffer, had left behind.
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"Seconds after an Air India Dreamliner began taxiing for departure from London Heathrow to Ahmedabad, the commander learned that ground personnel had left his mobile phone behind in the aircraft. The commander decided to stop the aircraft, have a flight attendant open an aircraft door and drop the phone to the ground staffer. Since that generous gesture has made it to a newspaper, suffice to say, it didn't go according to plan. What unfolded instead has arguably turned flight AI-176 into world's first documented case of nomophobia-led deployment of an inflatable slide raft and a consequent flight delay," The Times of India reported about the incident that happened on the 18th of March this year but came to light only recently.
The commander of the AI Boeing 787-800 (VT-ANP) found out about the unaccompanied cellphone on board his flight. It belonged to an aircraft maintenance engineer who had readied the flight for departure, the newspaper said, quoting an unnamed source.
What transpired next was a series of incredible decisions: the commander informed the ground staff and asked the engineer to reach the aircraft to collect the phone. He instructed the cabin crew-in-charge to open the door. As soon as the door was opened, the slide raft inflated and fell into position ready for an evacuation situation. With one inflatable slide raft deployed, the departure had to be delayed. AI-176, which had started taxiing at 2 pm before the mobile phone fiasco, finally departed at 3.46pm, the report adds.