The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has found that mobile phone calls made by passengers on aeroplanes can seriously affect the aircraft's on board equipment.

The CAA carried out tests on two parked aircraft at Gatwick Airport to find out the potential dangers of mobile phone use.

It found evidence that calls produced interference levels which could disrupt aircraft systems.

Dan Hawkes, head of the avionics section of the CAA's safety regulation group said: "The tests showed that a mobile phone used near an aircraft's flight deck or avionics equipment bay will produce interference."

Faults that could be attributed to mobile phones use include false cockpit warnings, the malfunctioning of aircraft systems, interference in pilots' headsets and the distraction of cabin crews from their normal duties.

The CAA bans the use of mobile phones from flights for which it is responsible once a plane's engines start running.
http://news.airwise.com/stories/2000/05/958907483.html