Plane makes emergency landing after pilot flips out

Friday, 28 Mar, 2012 0

 

Passengers on board a flight from New York wrestled the captain to the ground after he began yelling there was a bomb on board.

 

The co-pilot was forced to take over the controls and make an emergency landing in Texas, three-and-a-half hours into the flight.

 

The airline, JetBlue, later issued a statement saying there had been a "medical situation" onboard involving the captain, who has since been taken to hospital.

 

Some of the 135 passengers onboard flight 191 to Las Vegas said they saw the pilot storming through the aircraft, ranting about bomb threats, Iraq, Afghanistan and al-Qaida before cabin crew tried to calm him down at the back of the plane.

 

One news report said he shouted: "They’re going to take us down. They’re taking us down. They’re going to take us down. Say the Lord’s prayer."

 

When the captain then tried to re-enter the cockpit, which had been locked, four passengers pinned him to the ground, sitting on him until the plane landed safely at Amarillo airport in Texas.

 

JetBlue issued a statement saying an off-duty pilot who was a passenger on the flight took over the duties of the captain before the flight landed.

 

The FBI is coordinating an investigation with the airport police, Amarillo police, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Transportation Safety Administration.

 

 

 

By Linsey McNeill

 



 

profileimage

Linsey McNeill

Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk



Most Read

Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know

Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham

Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago

Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research

Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact

Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference

Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role

Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal

Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination

Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness

Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future

Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
TRAINING & COMPETITION
Skip to toolbar
Clearing CSS/JS assets' cache... Please wait until this notice disappears...
Updating... Please wait...