A United Airlines captain was using the bathroom on a charter flight, and while she was in there, someone entered the cockpit and sat in her seat. When she proactively reported this safety issue to the company, she was ultimately fired. Say what now?!
I first published a story about this yesterday, based on a report. I now have a bit more context into what happened, so would like to provide an update, to be as balanced as possible.
Unauthorized cockpit visit leads to United pilots being fired
Former Delta captain Karlene Petitt covers a lot of topics related to aviation safety, and shares the story of a hearing that’s happening on May 19-21, 2026, at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Flight Standards Office in Denver, Colorado. It involves former United captain Cynthia Clifford, who was terminated from the airline following a charter flight. Let’s step back for a moment.
In April 2024, United found itself in hot water over an incident that was getting a lot of media attention. Specifically, the Colorado Rockies had chartered a United Boeing 757 to fly from Denver (DEN) to Toronto (YYZ), and during the flight (not on the ground), one of the coaches not only sat in the captain’s seat, but posted a video of this on social media.
This is a massive no-no. On charter flights, it’s not unusual to see the cockpit door left open, and it’s also not unusual to see people visiting the cockpit while the plane is at cruising altitude. However, sitting in the seat of the captain or first officer while inflight is a line that can’t be crossed.
One of course wonders what kind of horrible judgment the crew was showing here, to allow this to happen. Well, as it turns out, the captain on the flight had gone to use the lavatory while at cruising altitude, and that’s when one of the coaches entered the cockpit, and somehow ended up in the captain’s seat.
The captain learned about what happened when she returned to the cockpit, and upon conclusion of the flight, she filed a report with United’s Flight Safety Action Program (FSAP). The idea is that this allows pilots to report safety issues, without fear of retaliation.
According to the report by Petitt (I haven’t been able to independently verify this), the three-person Event Review Committee (ERC) accepted her report, which should’ve been the end of it. One of the people on the committee belongs to the FAA, and reportedly when the FAA learned that nothing would happen, they replaced the FAA member on the board with someone who would vote differently.
The argument was reportedly that she couldn’t file a FSAP for the incident, because when drinking is involved, FSAPs can’t be filed. The intent there is typically that this applies to crew members (in other words, if a pilot reports they had a drink inflight, they wouldn’t be covered there), but this was also used in this case, because the passenger had a drink.
The first officer was reportedly fired as well (which quite honestly seems more reasonable, since he was in the cockpit at the time). According to Petitt:
Allegedly CEO Scott Kirby used Clifford as a scapegoat to cover up United’s systemic charter program safety issues that, for years, company managers have been bringing forward to United’s safety program manager, Sasha Johnson.
The United ALPA Master Executive Chair, Captain Anne Worster, provided deposition testimony as to the steps she took to try to protect Captain Clifford’s job and the integrity of the voluntary safety reporting program. She went all the way to the CEO Scott Kirby, to no avail.
While the first officer had the responsibility to keep him out of the seat, his termination was more than likely forthcoming. Sadly, ALPA attorneys convinced (pressured) the FO to write that he willfully violated FARs in exchange for a promise that he could keep his job and get less of a discipline from the FAA if he did it. His first ALPA rep warned him against doing this. Then the lead ALPA attorney and head of the ALPA safety committee worked together to replace his rep as fast as they could, without telling the rep what was ongoing. The damage was done. ALPA legal sold him down the river in the worst way.
Meanwhile the coach didn’t get in any trouble for what happened, United didn’t terminate its contract with the Colorado Rockies, etc.
Is this a fair outcome? Is there more to the story?
The argument being made seems to be that United fired the captain so the airline could use her as a scapegoat. Keep in mind that United was in the middle of an FAA audit at the time, due to a series of close calls. The FAA ultimately didn’t find any systematic issues, according to its report.
But the claim is that because the airline was undergoing a safety audit, it fired both pilots to create the optics of taking safety seriously.
Logically, one might say “well why would the pilots not just close the cockpit door?” This seems to be a real grey area on charter flights, where best practices aren’t necessarily followed. Petitt claims that a lot of corners are cut on these flights, explaining the following:
With respect to these airline sports charters, they are big money. Every passenger is a first class passenger and they get what they want. This leaving the door open is an unwritten policy, and has been ongoing for years at most airlines. The understanding is, “they own the plane.” I have been on those charters and the coaches have often visited the flight deck. The coach even testified he had sat up there on many airlines and door was almost always open on charters. But sitting in a pilot’s seat is a huge line to have crossed. Clifford’s initial concern with this process of the door being left open escalated when she learned the coach was in her seat, while she was out of the flight. She had to do something. She wrote a safety report. For that she got fired.
Now, there is a bit more context here about what happened, which both speaks for and against the captain:
- In questioning, the captain reported that it was her first charter flight as captain, and she hadn’t properly been trained about what the procedures are on these flights; so she had asked the lead flight attendant (who does a lot of charters) about this, and she claimed it’s common for the cockpit door to just be left open on these flights
- According to statements of others, the captain may have been standing outside the lavatory when the person entered the cockpit, so she would’ve seen him enter (which isn’t to say that she saw him sit in her seat)
- According to the statements of the “offender,” when he sat down in the captain’s seat, the first officer told him all about the controls, and didn’t ask him to get out of the seat; he just left on his own after some amount of time
I don’t have a strong opinion here as to what the outcome should’ve been. With this case now being heard publicly, it seems fair to at least give this some publicity.
The thing that stands out to me the most is that United really seems to lack proper safety standards and training when it comes to crews staffing charter flights. The captain shouldn’t have to ask the lead flight attendant whether or not the cockpit door should remain open, as you’d think this is an area where policies would be clearly defined.
I think this also gets at the bigger issue — charter customers are treated differently, and I imagine for many crews, they also find it cool to be flying these professional sports teams. So that makes it really difficult to also speak up when lines are crossed.
It doesn’t seem like the airline is doing much to set clear standards, based on the details we know. To me this feels like something that should be an experience that can be learned from for the company, rather than something that should cost two people their jobs.
Bottom line
In April 2024, a video went viral of a Colorado Rockies coach in the cockpit of a United Boeing 757 while inflight. While it’s common for cockpit doors to remain open on charter flights, this crosses the line, and is a big no-no.
The captain of the flight ended up filing a safety report over the incident, as this all happened while she went to the bathroom (though there are different reports as to whether or not she saw the man enter the cockpit). Despite filing a safety report, she ended up being fired, along with the first officer.
I think there was a big breakdown in leadership here, but the thing that stands out to me is how United doesn’t seem to set clear guidelines for crews working charter flights, if the captain is having to ask the flight attendants if the cockpit door should remain open or not. I’m curious to see what comes of this case…
What do you make of this United charter safety incident?