Southwest Pilot Claims He Was Terminated For Speaking Spanish During Emergency Engine Fire

Southwest pilot David Legeros claims he was fired after speaking in Spanish when the Boeing 737’s engine burst into flames in August 2023. 

The Southwest pilot filed a complaint against the airline claiming that he was terminated because he was a “person of color” and used “unacceptable language.” He claims that Southwest risks his career to now being “crippled.”

Engine Fire

In August 2023, Legeros was flying a Boeing 737 from Houston Hobby Airport to Cancun. Moments after takeoff, the plane’s right engine caught fire and suffered “severe damage.” However, instead of taking control of the plane, Legeros decided to let the First Officer fly the plane. Legeros, on the other hand, communicated with the air traffic control for an emergency landing in Houston. 

As flames were visible from the cabin, Legeros claims that the passengers were “unsurprisingly terrified.” 

The decision to let the First Officer fly the plane during the emergency landed the Southwest pilot in hot water. According to the airline’s standard operating procedures, the captain should be the one in control during emergencies. 

Southwest Pilot Didn’t Follow Emergency Protocols

He argued that the plane would’ve jolted and could’ve separated the flaming engine if he had taken control. Instead of flying the plane, he allowed the First Officer to control the plane while he spoke to the passengers in both English and Spanish. He reassured the passengers that the situation was under control, preventing a chaotic evacuation on the emergency slides. 

In Legeros’ application for an injunction against Southwest, It stated “Had SWA (Southwest Airlines) decided to reward Mr Legeros, or even ignore him, following his heroics, this story would be over, but SWA decided to punish him.”

It continued, “Incredibly, instead of accolades, on September 19, 2023, SWA held a meeting to discuss Mr. Legeros’s conduct during Flight WN307, and after ‘conducting a thorough investigation; SWA found that Mr. Legeros ‘engaged in serious misconduct’.”

After the meeting in September 2023, Legeros was grounded. In January 2024, Legeros was informed that the airline wanted him to take a Fitness For Duty or FFD evaluation.

In his lawsuit, he said, “There are few better ways to remove an irritating pilot than to develop a medical record that purports to diagnose said pilot as insane.” 

Legeros couldn’t attend the first FFD evaluation since his father was hospitalized. However, instead of having another evaluation, Southwest ordered him to attend a meeting with their Chief Pilot. Legeros was then given the choice to resign or get terminated. 

Southwest didn’t comment on the specifics of the case. However, the airline said that it “stands behind its decision to dismiss Mr. Legeros.”