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JetBlue pilot freaks on NYC/Vegas flight, diverted to Amarillo
Photo credit: JetBlue's terminal at JFK/Getty
A JetBlue flight from JFK airport to Las Vegas was diverted yesterday after the flight's captain had a meltdown, running up and down the aisle yelling incoherently and pounding on the cockpit's door before passengers subdued him.
The plane landed in Amarillo, Texas, around 10 a.m., and the unidentified pilot was removed by ambulance for medical evaluation, according to the FAA. The passengers deplaned and boarded a flight to Vegas in the late afternoon.
Witnesses said the captain left the cockpit during the flight and walked to the back of the plane, then became disruptive as he returned to the cockpit.
Heidi Karg, a passenger on the flight, told CNN that the man was shouting, "I need the code! Gimme the code! I need to get in there!" The co-pilot used the announcement system to call for someone to restrain the captain, and some male passengers – including a retired NYPD sergeant – wrestled him to the ground, published reports said.
Karg added: "We heard the word 'bomb.' We didn't know exactly what was going
on."The eyewitness accounts of the incident differed in various media reports, ranging from the captain demanding re-entry into the cockpit to the captain talking about a bomb to the captain yelling "Say your prayers!" while in the cabin.
There were 135 passengers aboard the Airbus A320 along with a crew of six, the
airline said.One of the crew members was an off-duty captain who "entered the cabin" following the incident and assumed the role of the incapacitated pilot, according to the airline. No one aboard the jet was injured.
(with Newsday)
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