Courts / Dublin / Report

'Spelling mistake' reversed meaning of Aer Lingus manager's finding in disciplinary probe, tribunal hears

Date
2026-06-16
Stage
Hearing Or Decision
Primary locality
Dublin
County
Dublin

Summary

A senior Aer Lingus manager, Captain Colm Wynne, told a tribunal that a 'spelling mistake' on his part reversed the meaning of his finding in a disciplinary probe involving a pilot, Declan McCabe. McCabe was demoted from training captain to flight officer in 2024 and told he would 'never' be allowed to conduct training again as a disciplinary sanction. The tribunal heard that McCabe disputes the company's view that he was obliged to file a safety report after an incident involving an Airbus A320. McCabe said the relevant Aer Lingus manual left it up to his judgment to decide whether to report it. The tribunal heard that a senior manager in flight operations, Captain Colm Wynne, wrote to McCabe about an inquiry from Air Nav Ireland, but McCabe wrote directly to the regulator without copying Wynne on the correspondence. McCabe said he was concerned about 'retribution' from Wynne about filing safety reports arising from an earlier dispute with his employer. The case has been adjourned overnight.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: 'Spelling mistake' reversed meaning of Aer Lingus manager's finding in disciplinary probe, tribunal hears. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision

When:

Why: A senior Aer Lingus manager has told a tribunal that his investigation report seems to state that he agrees with a demoted pilot's reading of an airline manual because of a "spelling mistake on my part". CNI source report

Places mentioned

Secondary Mention

Topics

Stage Hearing Or Decision

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Read the original CNI report

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