Chinese pilot stabs colleagues, jumps to death over workplace dispute: report
China Southern Airlines captain leaps from building after failed work evaluation in country’s northeast, according to TV report
The 31-year-old pilot, identified only by his surname Li, died after jumping out of a window in Changchun, Jilin province, according to a report released on Wednesday by the Erdao district branch of the Changchun Public Security Bureau. His colleagues were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening wounds, the report said, adding that an investigation was under way.
Citing a person with knowledge of the incident, Guizhou Radio and TV (GZTV) reported that Li, a pilot with the company’s Jilin branch, had recently failed an evaluation and was not qualified to fly.
During a conversation with his superiors about the appraisal, Li attacked the flight department’s Communist Party secretary and a department manager, the source said. He then smashed a window on the 15th floor of the building and jumped to his death.
The company evaluation determined that Li had a “lack of understanding of rules and procedures” such as communication failure procedures and the cockpit door electronic lock password, GZTV reported, citing an internal report provided by another insider.
The second source said the internal report had recommended Li undergo “systematic and comprehensive training” of the flight crew operating manual followed by a comprehensive “theoretical verification” conducted by the airline’s Jilin branch before Li could have his flight qualifications restored.