Can an Airline pilot resign in mid flight?

[Sickbag]

Would they still have any legal responsibility for the Aircraft/Passengers?

[3WE]

Only if there is a passenger on board with MSFS experience of at least 500 h total time and 50 hours in type.

Obviously, there will be a remaining, type-rated crewmember, but someone must watch the transponser for all phases of flight and consult Wikipedia if they are flying at the service ceiling.

[ZeroAltitude]

Only if there is a passenger on board with MSFS experience of at least 500 h total time and 50 hours in type.

Obviously, there will be a remaining, type-rated crewmember, but someone must watch the transponser for all phases of flight and consult Wikipedia if they are flying at the service ceiling.

Not only must he watch the transponder - he's got to actually work it.

[el]

Would they still have any legal responsibility for the Aircraft/Passengers?

I suppose a pilot could do so. He would get himself in all sorts of legal trouble, though.

[David Hilditch]

If we're talking about the captain, maybe he could theoretically resign from his employer, but as aircraft commander he would, I think, still have legal responsibility for his crew and passengers and for the safe conduct of his aircraft for the entire flight.

[Sickbag]

If we're talking about the captain, maybe he could theoretically resign from his employer, but as aircraft commander he would, I think, still have legal responsibility for his crew and passengers and for the safe conduct of his aircraft for the entire flight.

Would he though? If he declared himself unwilling to fly the FO would take over and assume that role just the same way as if he was incapacitated from a physical condition.
There was a Canadian pilot recently who, for whatever reason was considered mentally incapable of being in command by the other pilot, who then took control. If he had turned around and declared he no longer wanted to perform his duties the result would be the same,no?

[David Hilditch]

If we're talking about the captain, maybe he could theoretically resign from his employer, but as aircraft commander he would, I think, still have legal responsibility for his crew and passengers and for the safe conduct of his aircraft for the entire flight.

Would he though? If he declared himself unwilling to fly the FO would take over and assume that role just the same way as if he was incapacitated from a physical condition.
There was a Canadian pilot recently who, for whatever reason was considered mentally incapable of being in command by the other pilot, who then took control. If he had turned around and declared he no longer wanted to perform his duties the result would be the same,no?

I see what you're saying. I'm not sure. Your initial question was "resign" from the employer, which I did not take as becoming 'incapacitated' to fly a particular flight. If in mid-flight a pilot deems himself incapacitated or unfit to fly, he obviously has a duty to inform the other pilot or pilots and, if commander, give up the commander's responsibilities. There may also be cases where a first officer may have to intervene and take over from the captain if the former thought the latter was already incapacitated or was endangering the ship. Apart from this, I think a commander has a duty to complete the flight if he remains fit to do so, and I think he flies primarily under the terms of his license, and the rules laid down by the regulator, and not under his employer's terms and conditions. But I'm open to correction.

[J]

Based on a conversation with a friend (retired C130 captain) it sometimes happens that a flight crewmember (including my friend) may sometimes "hand over" the controls if they experience a sense of vertigo or otherwise feel they are not safe at that moment to continue. He said this happened briefly one time when flying through zero visibility and he instinctively "knew" he was having trouble following the instruments when there were no visual clues. After a few moments he settled down and was able to resume command.

[3WE]

For the sake of context, some may find it relevant that the original post occurred within a day or two of Flyboy resigning as moderator, thus some of the discussion here is more humorous than somone genuinely interested in legalities of "resigning from their employer" in flight.

That being said, a discussion of the legalities, policies and other angles of "declaring oneself incapable of being a good, safe pilot" is valid.

[IntheShade]

Based on a conversation with a friend (retired C130 captain) it sometimes happens that a flight crewmember (including my friend) may sometimes "hand over" the controls if they experience a sense of vertigo or otherwise feel they are not safe at that moment to continue. He said this happened briefly one time when flying through zero visibility and he instinctively "knew" he was having trouble following the instruments when there were no visual clues. After a few moments he settled down and was able to resume command.

I experienced this once with a crewmember who I thought was stark raving crazy.

This was at my previous employer. He was also hired by my current employer but busted intial hire training and was released. He then went back to my previous employer who rehired him, left them for Air Tahomos who hire anyone, he then (probably due to a busted checkride) left them to lay spooled computer wiring, was ran off by the wiring company and found a job flying a Cessna Citation, and now according to rumour is employed in a DoD Think Tank out of Chicago.

[GlennAB1]

When I read the subject, some how I knew you'd have experience with it..........

[IntheShade]

When I read the subject, some how I knew you'd have experience with it..........

Indeed, and you don't know half the story.

I also had to fly with another lunatic who saw fuzzy animals in the cloud shapes like rabbits (amoung other things), delayed flights for up to 90 minutes getting haircuts and refusing to T/O in the winter because the mechanics wouldn't fill up the water/alcohol injection tank. He eventually got fired and last time I saw him was sporting some type New Age/San Francisco hair style.

I was based in Brownwood with this and the other mentioned lunatic. LoneStar wasn't the touchy/feely pshyco/babble new age company most of the airlines have become. We setteled our differences at the bottom of the aircraft stairs and when the Chief Pilot found out he always thanked me.

The funny thing is every other pilot in the company knew what train wrecks these two were and backed me up. I ended up getting the name "Wild Man" and would often be flying and hear over the company radio freq. something like "Hey Wild Man what the news today....."

[klmn802]

Deleted - spam
ZA