A Southwest Airlines captain has filed a complaint against the airline after he was fired during an emergency last year over the captain’s decision to speak to passengers rather than fly the plane.
David Legeros was the captain of a Boeing 737 when the plane’s engine exploded and caught fire shortly after taking off from Houston Hobby Airport on its way to Cancun in August 2023.
The plane’s right engine suffered “significant damage” during the emergency, but the captain opted to hand the controls to the co-pilot rather than take over. Legeros instead contacted air traffic control to make an emergency landing in Houston, according to court documents obtained by Air Force One. Independent.
In an injunction filed against the airline in New York District Court in April, Regeros said flames were visible from inside the cabin and passengers were “understandably frightened.”
Regeros then spoke to the passengers in Spanish and English, trying to reassure them that the situation was under control, according to court documents.
He said he was reprimanded by the airline after the incident, and that Southwest’s standard operating procedures state that the captain is in charge of flying the aircraft in the event of an emergency. Byeok.
The former captain claimed that if he had taken control of the plane, the plane would have suddenly shaken, causing the burning engine to dislodge and put him at risk of falling to the ground.
“If Southwest Airlines (SWA) had decided to reward or even ignore Mr. Legeros’ heroic actions, this incident would have been over, but SWA decided to punish him,” the petition states.
According to court documents, the airline investigated the WN307 crash and determined that Legeros “had engaged in serious misconduct.”
“In exchange for immediate dismissal for safely landing a burning aircraft on the runway, Mr. Regelos agreed to sign a ‘last chance agreement’ with a number of special requirements for a ‘retraining program.’ “We were forced to do so,” the preliminary injunction application states.
The complaint alleges that management criticized the airline for speaking to passengers in Spanish, despite claiming that the passengers on the flight were “predominantly Hispanic.”
“Under the guise of ‘serious misconduct,’ SWA is actually seeking to oust Mr. Legeros because of his status as a person of color,” the lawsuit alleges.
Legeros was then and remains grounded, after which the airline announced in January that it wanted to conduct a psychological evaluation of his “fitness for duty.”
“There are few better ways to fire an irritable pilot than to produce medical records diagnosing him as mentally incompetent,” Legeros’ lawsuit states.
Mr. Legeros claimed that his father was unable to participate in the initial evaluation because he was hospitalized.
Southwest now wants him to attend a meeting with the chief pilot to allow him to resign or be fired, according to the complaint.
Legeros is seeking an injunction to stop SWA from forcing him to undergo psychological testing and fitness-for-work evaluations.
Southwest declined to comment on the details of the lawsuit. Byok The lawsuit is pending. However, Southwest Airlines spokeswoman Lynn Lunsford said in a statement to the outlet that the airline stands by its decision to fire Regalos.
“Southwest Airlines expects all pilots to follow procedures and policies in place to protect the safety of our customers and employees,” the airline said in a statement.
“Southwest Airlines stands by the decision to terminate Mr. Regelos and will respond to any allegations in the appropriate forum.”
independent person Southwest Airlines has been contacted for further comment.
