The Colorado Rockies have found themselves in the spotlight of a federal investigation led by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The focus of this investigation stems from a concerning incident involving the team’s hitting coach, who was recorded sitting in the cockpit of an aircraft while it was airborne at an altitude exceeding 30,000 feet.
“The FAA is investigating this event. Federal regulations restrict flight deck access to specific individuals,” stated the Federal Aviation Administration in response to inquiries from TMZ Sports.
For context, the FAA operates as a federal agency under the Department of Transportation, tasked with ensuring the safety of air travel within the United States.
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The incident occurred last week while the Rockies were en route to Toronto for a series against the Blue Jays.
Hitting coach and former player Hensley “Bam Bam” Meulens inadvertently drew attention to the situation by sharing video footage of himself seated in the captain’s seat of the Boeing aircraft.
“Had some fun in the cockpit on our flight from Denver to Toronto. Thanks to the captain and the first officer of our United charter that allowed me this great experience,” Meulens captioned the clip.
Now, the pilots and “Bam Bam” may be in a bit of trouble.
“We’re deeply disturbed by what we see in that video, which appears to show an unauthorized person in the flight deck at cruise altitude while the autopilot was engaged,” United Airlines told us.
“As a clear violation of our safety and operational policies, we’ve reported the incident to the FAA and have withheld the pilots from service while we conduct an investigation.”
If you’re looking for good news surrounding the Rockies, you won’t find it on the baseball diamond as they are currently the third-worst team in the MLB with a record of 4-15.
