As Jeju Air employees point out in an anonymous community that the plane crash of Jeju Air's flight from Bangkok, Thailand, was a foreseen accident, the case of a T’way Air captain who was given a heavy disciplinary action for refusing to fly due to aircraft defects is drawing renewed attention.
This incident occurred in Jan. when T’way Air captain A refused to fly due to aircraft defects at Nha Trang Airport, Vietnam, just before takeoff. At that time, captain A found that the length of the 'indicator pin' that shows the wear status of the brake pads did not meet the company's Operational Technical Bulletin and requested a brake exchange. However, the company ordered a departure, stating there was no problem with the operation.
Captain A decided against flying, citing safety concerns and the need to adhere to regulations. When the flight was delayed by 15 hours, T’way Air gave captain A a final disciplinary action of a five-month suspension, citing passenger inconvenience.
A suspension of three months or more can affect a pilot's license, so captain A immediately filed a provisional injunction to suspend the disciplinary effect, and the Seoul Regional Labor Committee also found the discipline against captain A unjust. T’way Air claimed that if the indicator pin was exchanged when more than 1mm remained, a penalty would be imposed by the parts manufacturer. However, it was revealed that neither Boeing, the aircraft manufacturer, nor the parts manufacturer had such rules, leading T’way Air to change its claim, citing an expense issue instead of a penalty.
Meanwhile, the National Fire Agency confirmed that, except for two crew members initially rescued, all 179 passengers died in the Jeju Air flight 7C2216 crash originating from Bangkok, Thailand. Currently, 91 of the deceased have not been identified.