[gatagato]

JetBlue pilot flips out, is subdued by passengers

This morning, at approximately 9:53 a.m. Central Time, a Jet Blue flight en route to Las Vegas from New York JFK International Airport was diverted to Amarillo Rick Husband International Airport for an onboard medical emergency.

Preliminary information indicates that after landing, it was learned that the co-pilot became concerned that the captain exhibited erratic behavior during the flight. The captain had exited the cockpit during the flight, after which the co-pilot locked the door. When the captain attempted to enter the locked cockpit, he was subdued by passengers. After the flight landed safely, local law enforcement secured the pilot without incident, and he was transported by ambulance for medical evaluation.

The aircraft was towed to the terminal building and the passengers were safely deplaned from the aircraft. Passengers are currently awaiting continuation of their travel to Las Vegas.

The FBI, FAA, TSA and local law enforcement are coordinating on this incident.

__________

The Globe-News quotes Josh Redick, 41, of New York, as saying the crew kicked the pilot out of the cockpit, and he turned unruly and tried to use the intercom system, which had been disabled.

Heidi Karg tells CNN that there was a lot of commotion and that she heard the man she thinks was the captain shout the word "bomb."

JetBlue and Transportation Security Administration officials described the pilot as having a medical condition.

The pilot, who has not been identified, was transported to Northwest Texas Hospital, officials said.

"Another captain, traveling off duty on Flight 191, entered the flight deck prior to landing at Amarillo, and took over the duties of the ill crewmember once on the ground," the company said in a statement. "The aircraft arrived Amarillo at 10:11 a.m., and the crewmember was removed from the aircraft and taken to a local medical facility. "

The newspaper quotes TSA spokesman Luis Casanova as saying it "seems to be more of a medical issue than a security issue at this point."

One passenger told Fox 5 News the pilot was in the cabin trying to storm the cockpit.

"I saw a guy wearing a pilot's uniform run down the aisle screaming and yelling and banging on the cockpit door to let him in," the witness said.

The witness, Fox 5 News reports, said the man was screaming, "Say your prayers! Say your prayers!"

A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas was forced to land in Texas today after passengers had to subdue the plane's pilot, who shouted about bombs and al-Qaeda after suffering what was described as a "medical situation," the Amarillo Globe-News reports.

Update at 6:02 p.m. ET: An airline security consultant tells USA TODAY's Nancy Trejos that no official mental health testing is required for pilots.

"The mental health side is constant monitoring from your co-workers," says Dave Funk, a retired Northwest Airlines captain with Laird & Associates.

If a pilot's personality changes drastically, "we're going to pull him aside. Management will get involved and not in a hostile fashion. We work with people."

Update at 5:09 p.m. ET: The FAA requires commercial pilots to be medically certified every year if they are younger than 40 or every six months if older, USA TODAY's Bart Jansen reports.

A pilot must have a physical exam by an FAA-designated medical examiner, who assesses the pilot's psychological condition as part of the checkup. The examiner can order additional psychological testing.

Update at 4:17 p.m. ET: There are conflicting takeoff times for the plane, both attributed to JetBlue: 10:45 a.m., cited by the Amarillo paper and other news outlets, and 7:28 a.m. ET, delayed from a scheduled 6:55 a.m. departure.

Update at 4:04 p.m. ET: John Cox, a former pilot who is now a safety expert, tells USA TODAY's Bart Jansen that the other pilot on the flight could have landed the plane safely, even without any assistance from the off-duty captain. Cox said crewmembers are trained to restrain combative passengers under a program that could have applied to the pilot.

"The same training to restrain an abusive passenger that presents a physical threat could be utilized against a crewmember," said Cox, president of Safety Operation Systems. "It was great that there was another captain that was on the flight that could assist the first officer. Had he not been there, though, the first officer is completely capable and trained to land the aircraft. There was never a risk to the passengers."

The nature of the "medical situation" is still not known. Passengers said the captain appeared to suffer some kind of panic attack, with one telling CNN the pilot asked to be restrained.

Update at 4:02 p.m. ET: The flight was "packed with burly men" heading to the 2012 International Security Conference in Las Vegas, the New York Daily News says.

Update at 3:54 p.m. ET: One passenger said a former prison security guard grabbed the captain by the neck and choked him until he collapsed, the Globe-News says. The New York Daily News reports that a retired NYPD sergeant subdued the captain.

Update at 3:35 p.m. ET: Flight 191, an Airbus A320, landed at Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport at 10:11 a.m. CT (11:11 a.m. ET), JetBlue said.

Emergency workers at the Amarillo, Texas, airport tend to a JetBlue captain who was subdued by passengers after suffering what was described as an unidentified 'medical situation' during a New York-to-Las Vegas flight Wednesday morning. Passengers said he screamed that Iraq or Afghanistan had planted a bomb on the flight and he was locked out of the cockpit.


Baggage is removed from JetBlue Flight 191 as authorities begin searching for explosives at Amarillo Rick Husband International Airport in Texas. The plane, en route from New York to Las Vegas, made an emergency landing today after the captain became unruly and had to be restrained by passengers. The airline said he was suffering from an unidentified medical condition.


Passengers on March 27, 2012, JetBlue flight during altercation near cockpit

JetBlue pilot flips out, is subdued by passengers

JetBlue captain: 'They're going to take us down'

Co-pilot Locks Deranged Captain Out of Cockpit

JetBlue pilot restrained by passenger after meltdown

Pilot Freaks Out, Screams Warnings About al-Qaeda

JetBlue Captain ‘Bomb on the Plane!!!’

‘Like he went crazy:’ Passengers say pilot yelled about threats

[xstunt1ngx]

Well thats one way to get fired.

[Faline]

Dude lost his marbles

[kellyhound]

wonder what drugs he took lol

[Flaka]

Sounds like he had more than a panic attack. Hope he recovers soon.

[Pyramid_Head]

After 9/11 doing shit like this is a no, no. I mean, imagine how scared those passengers were.

[DiamondSmiles]

Very thorough, gata, as always!

[shtmtlpimp]

Fuckin "bathsalts" I bet! Let's try and blame something else on the stuff, like terrorism! Yay!

[DiamondSmiles]

Originally Posted by shtmtlpimp ↗

Fuckin "bathsalts" I bet! Let's try and blame something else on the stuff, like terrorism! Yay!

He is still clothed. If he stripped and ran around naked, I'd say, "yes", but, he has some kind of issues.

[Arsedestroyer]

don't like flying much, scary stuff without the captain losing the plot.
would freak me out i think. shame for him, hope he is ok and glad the passengers are safe too.