SAA captain heads to court over disputed 2024 Airbus A330 incident

A South African Airways captain has turned to the High Court over the handling of an Airbus A330-300 incident that took place nearly two years ago. According to Newsroom ZA, Captain Yvette Walsh, who was the First-Officer on the flight, wants an independent investigation into what happened during the Cape Town to OR Tambo International Airport service on 27 October 2024 and whether the conclusions reached about her actions are fair.

The incident involved unusual up-and-down movement in the aircraft, a motion often described as porpoising. Walsh and the captain on duty, Craig Pearce, initially believed the aircraft was encountering turbulence. Walsh says she then followed the manufacturer’s procedures by disengaging the autopilot and descending to a lower altitude while passengers were told to fasten their seat belts.

The aircraft stabilised within minutes, allowing the crew to switch the autopilot back on and continue the journey. While passengers were not hurt, Newsroom ZA reports that four cabin crew members sustained minor injuries. A catering trolley also came loose and damaged the aircraft’s rear right-hand door, which is why the matter is treated as a serious incident under international aviation standards.

The aircraft later flew to Lagos, Nigeria, on the same day. Walsh has questioned whether the inspections carried out before it returned to service were thorough enough to rule out possible damage. That concern sits at the centre of her court application, because she is not only asking what caused the motion, but also whether the aircraft was properly checked afterwards.

Months after the flight, Airbus submitted a technical report to SAA and the South African Civil Aviation Authority. Newsroom ZA says the report raised questions about Walsh’s handling of the aircraft, but she disputes its findings. She argues that the report contains an incorrect reference to the flight travelling to Malaysia and gives a description of the aircraft climbing sharply before descending rapidly, which she says does not match what happened.

A major issue in the dispute is the absence of the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder recordings. Walsh says those records were not preserved, even though they could have helped show what was said in the cockpit and how the aircraft responded to the crew’s actions. She has also raised the possibility that a faulty air data sensor may have played a part in the aircraft’s movements.

In practical terms, the fight is now about evidence, timing and accountability. Walsh says a thorough technical inspection and an investigation independent of both SAA and the SACAA are needed before any firm conclusions are drawn. SAA, however, argues that a further investigation is unnecessary. In its court papers, the airline says Walsh created the urgency by waiting to bring the application and notes that the aircraft has not had similar problems since the flight.

Newsroom ZA reports that the dispute has taken a personal toll on Walsh, who has more than 23 years of service with SAA. She was promoted to captain after the incident, but she has reportedly undergone treatment for stress, anxiety and depression and declared herself temporarily unfit for duty in November 2024. Walsh disputes SAA’s view that the delay was her fault, saying the wait for technical reports was outside her control.

The application has been removed from the urgent court roll and is now set to be heard early next year. Until then, the central questions remain unresolved: what caused the aircraft’s unusual movement, whether the missing recordings should have existed, and whether the conclusions made about Walsh can stand.