Hensley Meulens was recently featured in a now-deleted video where he was seen sitting in one of the pilots’ seats during the Colorado Rockies’ team charter flight from Denver to Toronto. The Federal Aviation Administration is launching an investigation into the incident after the video surfaced. Both United Airlines and the FAA are looking into how Meulens gained access to the cockpit in violation of company policy and FAA regulations.
The video, which Meulens shared on Instagram, showed him sitting in the pilot’s seat and joking about landing the plane. United Airlines stated that they were deeply disturbed by the footage and considered it a clear violation of safety and operational policies. The airline confirmed that the plane was at cruising altitude with autopilot engaged while Meulens was in the cockpit. The pilots have been grounded pending the outcome of the investigation.
The Rockies had just completed a homestand before embarking on a road trip to Toronto when the incident occurred. Meulens, 56, joined the Rockies as their hitting coach in Nov. 2022 after coaching stints with the New York Yankees, New York Mets, and San Francisco Giants. Before becoming a coach, Meulens played for two MLB teams and also had experience playing in Japan and Korea between 1989-2000.