When you or I spill our coffee while driving, we might say a few choice words, wipe it up, and move on. It was a much bigger deal when one of the pilots of United Flight 1996 spilled his coffee, reports View from the Wing. The Airbus A321neo, which was taxiing for departure from Chicago O’Hare, had to return to the gate for inspection, grounding the flight temporarily.
This may seem a bit extreme, but when it comes to commercial aviation, it’s better safe than sorry. It’s not as simple as grabbing a few leftover napkins from the last fast-food drive-through you hit to clean up the spill. View from the Wing elaborates:
Coffee is especially bad because it’s hot, acidic, and often has sugar and cream which can leave a sticky residue. That could mean inspecting:
*Control panels & switches: The center pedestal (throttles, ENG START, radio tuning units, ECAM control panel) and overhead panel are exposed. Any spill on them requires drying, cleaning and functional checks.* Avionics / electrical systems: The avionics bay is directly below the cockpit floor on an Airbus A321. Liquids can seep through gaps around the pedestal and drip onto avionics racks.
* Flight control levers: (throttle, flaps, spoilers, gear) Coffee into the throttle quadrant or flap lever area would require inspection.
* Circuit breakers & wiring bundles: I think that the A321neo has breaker panels along the sidewalls? Some pilot and mechanic readers can confirm.
* Sidestick controllers: Airbus has sidesticks on the side consoles, which also have storage and cupholders. A spill there could drip into the sidestick base.
If this seems a bit paranoid, keep in mind that your car can’t drop out of the sky with hundreds of people on board in the event of an electrical failure.
Is that even allowed?
It’s reasonable to ask whether a distraction like a cup of coffee is even permitted in the cockpit, especially while taxiing across one of the busiest airports in the world. Believe it or not, the answer is yes. While the sterile cockpit rule prohibits non-essential conversations or activities below 10,000 feet, including during taxi and takeoff, taking a drink is considered an essential activity. You wouldn’t want your pilots getting dehydrated from not being allowed to drink water, and coffee helps them remain awake and aware like a Formula 1 driver. The Airbus A320 and later designs even have cupholders built into the cockpit. It’s not exactly a bottoms-up drink filler, but it’s something.
Spilling is generally frowned upon, but it can happen to anyone. The pilots did the right thing, owned up to their embarrassing mistake, and followed proper procedures instead of a cover-up that could potentially lead to something far worse than a flight delay. The fact that the same plane continued to fly the delayed flight to San Juan shows that either the damage was minor and easily repaired, or perhaps there was no damage at all. But you can’t be too careful when it comes to airline safety.
