Hensley Meulens, a hitting coach for the Colorado Rockies, has been suspended from flying pending an investigation into an incident that occurred during a charter flight from Denver to Toronto. The video of Meulens sitting in one of the pilots’ seats inside the flight deck while joking about landing the plane was shared on Instagram and has since been deleted.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is launching an investigation into this incident. The video, which was shared by Meulens himself on social media, showed him violating company policy and FAA regulations by gaining access to the cockpit of a 757 at cruising altitude.
United Airlines, the airline that operated the charter flight, released a statement expressing deep concern over the video. They called it a clear violation of their safety and operational policies. United Airlines and the FAA are currently investigating how Meulens gained access to the cockpit of the aircraft during the flight.
Meulens, 56, is a highly experienced coach who was hired by the Rockies in 2022 as their hitting coach. Prior to his current role with the Rockies, he coached for several MLB teams including New York Yankees, New York Mets and San Francisco Giants. He also played for two MLB teams and in Japan and Korea between 1989-2000.
