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EVA Pilot COVID Infections - How did this happen?

EVA Pilot COVID Infections - How did this happen?

Old Dec 22, 2020, 11:00 am
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Question EVA Pilot COVID Infections - How did this happen?

I have been seeing news that 3 pilots for BR got infected and the TW CDC is saying it started with a pilot from New Zealand who not only did not wear a mask in the cockpit (and got 2 other pilots infected) and also broke local shortened aviation industry quarantine rules upon return to TW (and caused the first local transmission in TW in months). On top of that, he lied about his outings and local contacts during tracking (the TW CDC had to get the police to get the mobile phone records) and was pretty rude with medical personnel, etc.

Chinese: https://udn.com/news/story/120940/5112842
English: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/fro.../23/2003749218

Knowing how disciplined EVA is, this kind of surprised me. I am even reading reports which claim other pilots advised the guy to wear a mask when he kept coughing in-flight but he refused. That also seem to be a Cockpit Resource Management issue. Does anyone know this guy's rank?

Also, it kind of surprised me that EVA still has so many foreign pilots (one of his victims is a Japanese pilot). From my limited experience with EVA, I thought most of the pilots now are now Taiwanese?
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Old Dec 22, 2020, 6:52 pm
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Originally Posted by username
That also seem to be a Cockpit Resource Management issue.
This is literally the definition of not a CRM issue.

The crew member in question violated established guidelines and company policies, violated quarantine rules, didn't self-isolate - in fact he did the exact opposite of this, instead deciding to hang out with his local hookup and take her shopping around Taipei, all despite exhibiting symptoms. He violated pretty much every "rule" in the book, whether Western or Eastern or Taiwanese or New Zealander.

IIRC, about 25% of BR's pilots are foreign. Not sure about CI, although I feel like they started recruiting (or at least trying to) many more foreign pilots when they turned away from ex-ROC pilots in the 90s due to safety concerns. To be frank, I'd much prefer foreign pilots but we all know BR/CI underpays.
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Old Dec 23, 2020, 8:57 am
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Pilot has been fired.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-h...KBN28X0SJ?il=0
https://tw.appledaily.com/life/20201...CSF6LYBZNOUBE/
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Old Dec 27, 2020, 1:01 am
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They also fined him NT$300,000 (about $11,000 USD). The Taoyuan city delivered the citation to his hospital and said the fine needs to be paid within 7 days - it doss not matter that he is in quarantine

EVA also got fined NT$1M (about $36,000 USD).

Some coverage in NZ Media:

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world...-200-days.html

https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/worl...wing-protocols
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Old Dec 27, 2020, 2:59 am
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Originally Posted by username
Does anyone know this guy's rank?
Captain.

Originally Posted by username
Also, it kind of surprised me that EVA still has so many foreign pilots (one of his victims is a Japanese pilot). From my limited experience with EVA, I thought most of the pilots now are now Taiwanese?
It has something to do with Taiwan's aviation safety history, especially CI. The troubled history of CI was partially due to the fact that CI hired retired pilot from the ROC armed force. I believe that has created a practice for EVA not to rely on local pilots/training. In fact, EVA Air's own flight school is located in California (Sacramento area), not Taiwan.

Even the CPL license of Starlux founder, and former BR CEO and Captain, Kuo-Wei Chang, is issued in the U.S.
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Old Dec 27, 2020, 3:26 am
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Originally Posted by username
They also fined him NT$300,000 (about $11,000 USD). The Taoyuan city delivered the citation to his hospital and said the fine needs to be paid within 7 days - it doss not matter that he is in quarantine

EVA also got fined NT$1M (about $36,000 USD).

Some coverage in NZ Media:

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world...-200-days.html

https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/worl...wing-protocols
I don't think there is anything Taoyuan city can do to him if he does not pay.
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Old Dec 27, 2020, 3:59 am
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Originally Posted by coolfish1103
I don't think there is anything Taoyuan city can do to him if he does not pay.
Link below has what the city can do if he does not pay. From local Taiwan new reports seems he did not and currently trying not to follow rules. (He is warded in a medical centre )

New Zealand pilot fined NT$300,000 for dishonesty about Taiwan travel | Taiwan News | 2020/12/22
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Old Dec 27, 2020, 10:32 am
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Originally Posted by garykung
...
It has something to do with Taiwan's aviation safety history, especially CI. The troubled history of CI was partially due to the fact that CI hired retired pilot from the ROC armed force. I believe that has created a practice for EVA not to rely on local pilots/training. In fact, EVA Air's own flight school is located in California (Sacramento area), not Taiwan.

Even the CPL license of Starlux founder, and former BR CEO and Captain, Kuo-Wei Chang, is issued in the U.S.
Yes,I know all that. However, it was just interesting to me that after 30 years, BR still has so many foreign pilots.
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Old Dec 27, 2020, 10:37 am
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Originally Posted by username
I have been seeing news that 3 pilots for BR got infected and the TW CDC is saying it started with a pilot from New Zealand who not only did not wear a mask in the cockpit (and got 2 other pilots infected) ...

Knowing how disciplined EVA is, this kind of surprised me. I am even reading reports which claim other pilots advised the guy to wear a mask when he kept coughing in-flight but he refused. That also seem to be a Cockpit Resource Management issue.

...
Originally Posted by gengar
This is literally the definition of not a CRM issue....
Now the issue of CRM is being raised:

https://udn.com/news/story/120940/5113096

https://udn.com/news/story/120940/5118774
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Old Dec 27, 2020, 10:41 am
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Originally Posted by coolfish1103
I don't think there is anything Taoyuan city can do to him if he does not pay.
I would think they can prevent him from leaving TW, right?
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Old Dec 27, 2020, 2:30 pm
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Originally Posted by username
...by "journalists" who don't have a clue what CRM is.

While appropriately managing authority is one (minor) facet of communication within CRM, it is in the context of safety and in particular time-critical operations as they relate to safety. A flight deck member not wearing a mask doesn't come anywhere close to being that. In fact, a perfect example of CRM failure would be if the crew had engaged in an argument about the company's mask-wearing policy, and while doing so, flew the plane into the ground. Hence, my initial comment in this thread.

If what happened on the flight was actually indicative of an authority culture problem within BR, and if that would cause additional risk in time-critical operations regarding safety, then we can talk about CRM issues - but that's already two big ifs, and hugely and unnecessarily speculative.
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Last edited by gengar; Dec 27, 2020 at 9:18 pm
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Old Dec 27, 2020, 2:49 pm
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Originally Posted by username
Yes,I know all that. However, it was just interesting to me that after 30 years, BR still has so many foreign pilots.
FWIW - the majority of CX pilots are also foreign. Many Chinese pilot are also foreign, but not as many as local.
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Old Dec 27, 2020, 8:51 pm
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Originally Posted by username
I would think they can prevent him from leaving TW, right?
I don't think there is a law for that. They can prevent him from re-entering Taiwan, but not leaving.

As for the salary deduction I am not sure if that can be done cause EVA has already ended their relationship with the pilot, so supposedly he already received his last check on the date he was terminated.
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Old Dec 27, 2020, 8:58 pm
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Originally Posted by coolfish1103
They can prevent him from re-entering Taiwan, but not leaving.
Actually, such law does exist - Immigration Act, Article 6.
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Old Dec 28, 2020, 12:03 am
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I did a little googling and it seems there was the Korean couple who got fined for violating quarantine rules. Then when they tried to leave, they were not allowed to until the family in Korea paid up.
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