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American Morning

Interview With Man Who Taped Sleeping Pilot

Aired July 18, 2003 - 09:44   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: The FAA has launched an investigation into a flight from the Bahamas to Fort Lauderdale, Florida in which a pilot was asleep at the controls -- literally.
A passenger onboard the Walker's Aviation flight filmed this with his own video camera, taped it, anyway. Says the pilot slept through most of it. Eric Ballard was the passenger onboard that flight. He joins us to talk about that videotape. Good morning to you, Eric.

ERIC BALLARD, VIDEOTAPED SLEEPING PILOT: Good Morning.

HEMMER: Set the scene for us. You were in the Bahamas, coming back to Florida.

BALLARD: We were in the Bahamas coming back to Fort Lauderdale International aboard a plane. About 15 minutes after takeoff, we noticed the pilot take his headphones off, and then probably about five, ten minutes later, his head was back, mouth was open and fast asleep.

HEMMER: So we can see him. Where are you on this plane?

BALLARD: Two rows back to the right.

HEMMER: How did you find out he was sleeping?

BALLARD: Actually, the passenger in front of me turned around and told us.

HEMMER: Was the cockpit door open the whole time?

BALLARD: There was no barrier, no curtains

(CROSSTALK)

BALLARD: No idea. There was nothing. There was no door or curtain there at all. So you could see right in.

HEMMER: If you were flying to the East Coast, to Florida, I imagine that's not a long flight is it?

BALLARD: No, it's about an hour.

HEMMER: About an hour? Basic question for you. Why didn't you wake him up?

BALLARD: The co-pilot -- one lady had a flash camera. And when she used that, the co-pilot then noticed us taking the pictures and filming them. He didn't wake him up. So I wasn't going to get up and go into their area and wake him up myself.

HEMMER: Yes, give me -- the plane's how big?

BALLARD: It's a 17-passenger -- maybe the size of a school bus, maybe.

HEMMER: OK, were there 17 passengers...

(CROSSTALK)

HEMMER: What were the other folks saying on the plane?

BALLARD: To my knowledge, it was like the first four rows, five rows knew about it and they were all taking pictures and kind of a nervous laughter. Disbelief maybe.

HEMMER: Walker's Aviation, the company that charters the flight, again, as we described, had issued a statement. I want to read that for our viewers, now.

"The photographed pilot has been removed from flying status. the aircraft at all times was under the control of the second pilot. Walker's realizes the serious nature of the allegations and are cooperating with authorities and once the investigation is complete will take appropriate measures."

Your response to that statement from the airline?

BALLARD: At no time when I was doing the video did I think it would come to this or did I hope to get anyone in trouble or fired. But the FAA, you know that's their decision. And they deem his actions worthy of grounding him or terminating him, he probably shouldn't have been doing it.

HEMMER: At any time were you or anyone else onboard concerned?

BALLARD: Honestly, no. Not during the flight. I wasn't in fear at all.

HEMMER: How was the weather that day?

BALLARD: It was good. Good weather.

HEMMER: Clear?

BALLARD: Clear.

HEMMER: You're going to fly again, I imagine?

BALLARD: Flew here.

HEMMER: Yes you did. And you're flying back to Florida, too.

BALLARD: Yes. HEMMER: Thanks for sharing your story. Eric Ballard, videotaped that from Florida.

BALLARD: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired July 18, 2003 - 09:44   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: The FAA has launched an investigation into a flight from the Bahamas to Fort Lauderdale, Florida in which a pilot was asleep at the controls -- literally.
A passenger onboard the Walker's Aviation flight filmed this with his own video camera, taped it, anyway. Says the pilot slept through most of it. Eric Ballard was the passenger onboard that flight. He joins us to talk about that videotape. Good morning to you, Eric.

ERIC BALLARD, VIDEOTAPED SLEEPING PILOT: Good Morning.

HEMMER: Set the scene for us. You were in the Bahamas, coming back to Florida.

BALLARD: We were in the Bahamas coming back to Fort Lauderdale International aboard a plane. About 15 minutes after takeoff, we noticed the pilot take his headphones off, and then probably about five, ten minutes later, his head was back, mouth was open and fast asleep.

HEMMER: So we can see him. Where are you on this plane?

BALLARD: Two rows back to the right.

HEMMER: How did you find out he was sleeping?

BALLARD: Actually, the passenger in front of me turned around and told us.

HEMMER: Was the cockpit door open the whole time?

BALLARD: There was no barrier, no curtains

(CROSSTALK)

BALLARD: No idea. There was nothing. There was no door or curtain there at all. So you could see right in.

HEMMER: If you were flying to the East Coast, to Florida, I imagine that's not a long flight is it?

BALLARD: No, it's about an hour.

HEMMER: About an hour? Basic question for you. Why didn't you wake him up?

BALLARD: The co-pilot -- one lady had a flash camera. And when she used that, the co-pilot then noticed us taking the pictures and filming them. He didn't wake him up. So I wasn't going to get up and go into their area and wake him up myself.

HEMMER: Yes, give me -- the plane's how big?

BALLARD: It's a 17-passenger -- maybe the size of a school bus, maybe.

HEMMER: OK, were there 17 passengers...

(CROSSTALK)

HEMMER: What were the other folks saying on the plane?

BALLARD: To my knowledge, it was like the first four rows, five rows knew about it and they were all taking pictures and kind of a nervous laughter. Disbelief maybe.

HEMMER: Walker's Aviation, the company that charters the flight, again, as we described, had issued a statement. I want to read that for our viewers, now.

"The photographed pilot has been removed from flying status. the aircraft at all times was under the control of the second pilot. Walker's realizes the serious nature of the allegations and are cooperating with authorities and once the investigation is complete will take appropriate measures."

Your response to that statement from the airline?

BALLARD: At no time when I was doing the video did I think it would come to this or did I hope to get anyone in trouble or fired. But the FAA, you know that's their decision. And they deem his actions worthy of grounding him or terminating him, he probably shouldn't have been doing it.

HEMMER: At any time were you or anyone else onboard concerned?

BALLARD: Honestly, no. Not during the flight. I wasn't in fear at all.

HEMMER: How was the weather that day?

BALLARD: It was good. Good weather.

HEMMER: Clear?

BALLARD: Clear.

HEMMER: You're going to fly again, I imagine?

BALLARD: Flew here.

HEMMER: Yes you did. And you're flying back to Florida, too.

BALLARD: Yes. HEMMER: Thanks for sharing your story. Eric Ballard, videotaped that from Florida.

BALLARD: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com