JetBlue pilot freed after “brief psychotic” incident
In a story that makes Denzel Washington’s coke-fueled pilot in "Flight" look tame, Clayton Osbon, the JetBlue pilot who had a psychotic episode and left his cockpit raving about Jesus and al-Qaida in March has been freed by a Texas judge, rather than be committed to a mental health facility.
In his first trial on charges of interference with a flight crew in July, Osbon was judged not guilty by reason of insanity. In this second court appearance to determine if he should be committed or not, Osbon’s legal team included a forensic neuropsychologist who testified that the meltdown was caused by a "brief psychotic disorder and delusions secondary to sleep deprivation."
AP reports that US District Judge Mary Lou Robinson set conditions for Osbon’s release: he will not be allowed to fly or board any commercial or private planes and he will not be allowed to communicate with any of the passengers on the flight he disrupted.
TravelMole asked ALPA, the Air Line Pilots Association, for a comment on Osbon’s sleep-deprived condition and the risks implicit in airlines flying sleep-deprived pilots. Their media representative said Osbon was not a member of their union and they would not comment on the incident.
Gretchen Kelly
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