Airplane Bathroom Misunderstanding Leads To Air Site visitors Management Emergency

This needs to be one of the hilarious instances of miscommunication that I’ve seen between pilots and air visitors controllers, as flagged by PYOK.

TAP Air Portugal bathroom downside mistaken for pilot emergency

This incident occurred on a current TAP Air Portugal flight between Lisbon, Portugal (LIS), and Good, France (NCE). The flight was operated by a 106-seat Embraer E190, and sooner or later through the flight, the bathrooms turned inoperable.

This wasn’t a problem price declaring an emergency over, although clearly it was disagreeable for all onboard, and the pilots tried to get precedence touchdown, to attenuate the inconvenience. Nevertheless, this brought on a completely large miscommunication, which seemingly stems from the phrase “bathroom” being misunderstood as “pilot.”

Right here was the preliminary a part of the communication:

TAP Air Portugal pilot: “Only for data, we’ve some issues with the bathrooms on board. We don’t have it operational, and we have to land as quickly as attainable at Good. So, that’s why we’re asking for a extra direct path to Good and extra pace, if attainable.”
Air visitors controller: “Simply say once more your request.”
TAP Air Portugal pilot: “We’re requesting extra pace if attainable, till flight degree 100 no less than, and extra direct route. We don’t have bathrooms onboard throughout our flight of as we speak, that’s why we have to land as quickly as attainable due to the passengers.”
Air visitors controller: “Copy, are you declaring an emergency?”
TAP Air Portugal pilot: “No, we’re not declaring an emergency. Simply assistance on this example and a extra direct route and a rise in pace if attainable.”

The TAP Air Portugal airplane was then handed over to the subsequent air visitors controller, the place the state of affairs went downhill:

TAP Air Portugal pilot: “We’re asking for assist as a result of we’ve an issue onboard, however we’re not declaring an emergency. We’re simply asking for some assist to land as quickly as attainable. We don’t have bathrooms, so this has been in all of our flight as we speak, in order that’s why we try to ask for some assist to land as quickly as attainable. However we’re not declaring a Pan Pan or Mayday for now.”
Air visitors controller: “I don’t perceive, what’s the difficulty?”
TAP Air Portugal pilot: “We don’t have bathrooms. There are not any operative bathrooms, so the passengers must land to allow them to relieve themselves.”
Air visitors controller: “Simply to make sure, you’ve got the autopilot which is out of labor?”
TAP Air Portugal pilot: “No sir, we’ve the autopilot functioning correctly. Our downside is with the bathrooms. For now, it doesn’t matter anymore. We aren’t declaring something. We simply must arrive as quickly as attainable. That’s all.”
Air visitors controller: “Your pilot has a medical downside?”
TAP Air Portugal pilot: “Sir, I’ll say once more. We don’t have a medical downside. We simply don’t have bathrooms. However that doesn’t matter anymore. We simply must land. I’ll clarify higher on the bottom. However for now, we’re not declaring something.”
Air visitors controller: “Alert standing, alert standing, alert standing for a visitors that we suspect having no pilot in a position to function the plane. I’m unsure I perceive. You stated you had no pilot on board?”
TAP Air Portugal pilot: “Our operation is regular, sir. We want to proceed with the arrival usually.”
Air visitors controller: “You stated earlier than you had no pilot?”
TAP Air Portugal pilot: “I didn’t say that. We are going to communicate on the bottom for now, we simply must do our strategy.”

You possibly can hearken to the communication for your self under.