BREAKING: An American Airlines passenger stormed the cockpit during boarding, broke the flight controls, and then tried to jump out the window as the pilot attempted to stop him. Flight AA488 San Pedro Sula - Miami



https://twitter.com/SweeneyABC/status/1 ... 01/photo/1

Too many people jumping the zoo walls these days.

Crazy stuff but at least this only happened at the gate. Security protocols in the air make this much more difficult.

dcajet wrote:

BREAKING: An American Airlines passenger stormed the cockpit during boarding, broke the flight controls, and then tried to jump out the window as the pilot attempted to stop him. Flight AA488 San Pedro Sula - Miami



https://twitter.com/SweeneyABC/status/1 ... 01/photo/1

Replacement aircraft to pick up passengers due to depart MIA shortly as AA9790

https://www.flightradar24.com/data/flights/aa9790

Here is link to video of this person hanging out the cockpit window

https://twitter.com/i/status/1481067675015077889

The damage to the 737 flight controls



https://twitter.com/ArielSierra/status/ ... 6177977344

WTF? Unbelievable.

Let me guess, he was angry that someone asked him to keep his mask on.

dcajet wrote:

The damage to the 737 flight controls



https://twitter.com/ArielSierra/status/ ... 6177977344

When I first read damaged flight controls, that was not what I pictured at all. I thought he somehow was yanking on the yoke and broke either the yoke or one of the flight control surfaces.

BoeingGuy wrote:

WTF? Unbelievable.

Let me guess, he was angry that someone asked him to keep his mask on.

The sort of person yes.

Might have damaged them trying to climb through the window...

I hate to laugh (not really), but this guy has SO MUCH Karmic Justice coming....

"In San Pedro Sula's jailhouse, chaos reigns. The inmates, trapped in their collective misery, battle for control over every inch of their tight quarters. Farm animals and guard dogs roam free and feed off scraps, which can include a human heart. Every day is visitors' day, and the economy bustles with everything from chicken stands to men who can build customized jail cells. Here you can find a party stocked with champagne and live music. But you can also find an inmate hacked to pieces. Those who guard these quarters are also those who get rich selling air-conditioned rooms, and those who pay the consequences if they get too greedy. That's how inmates live, on their own virtual island free from government interference, in the San Pedro Sula prison."

https://insightcrime.org/investigations ... la-prison/

Looks like he picked the wrong day to stop sniffing glue...

the lack of decency displayed by so many global leaders has inspired so many decrepit people to believe they can just do or say anything without consequences. the ongoing pandemic and its disruptions are also messing with peoples’ ability to behave rationally. it’s disgusting.

People are literally losing their minds. What did he really think he could accomplish by doing something so stupid? Sadly, idiots like this will bring further changes to security procedures on the ground. For example, cockpit doors shut when on the ground during boarding and deplaning. Hopefully it won't come to that!! But with how nuts people have become on planes, I hate to say, but it appears it's going to become that way.

On a side note, would have been more entertaining if the pilot had just shoved the idiot out the window!

F9Animal wrote:

People are literally losing their minds. What did he really think he could accomplish by doing something so stupid? Sadly, idiots like this will bring further changes to security procedures on the ground. For example, cockpit doors shut when on the ground during boarding and deplaning. Hopefully it won't come to that!! But with how nuts people have become on planes, I hate to say, but it appears it's going to become that way.

On a side note, would have been more entertaining if the pilot had just shoved the idiot out the window!

Even from a 737, that'll definitely rattle the 'ol cage. Could land up permanently disabled or dead quite easily.

This guy really showed no signs of lunacy getting past the gate agent?

pdxav8r wrote:

This guy really showed no signs of lunacy getting past the gate agent?

I imagine he was cool enough at that point and then started freaking out while inside the 738.

While I don't doubt there will at least be debate about the idea of closed cockpit doors once they enter, I hope it doesn't come to that. When I fly with my daughter, it's still nice to show her the cockpit or offer the crew some candy canes during the holiday season. Ugh...people suck.

TWFlyGuy wrote:

While I don't doubt there will at least be debate about the idea of closed cockpit doors once they enter, I hope it doesn't come to that. When I fly with my daughter, it's still nice to show her the cockpit or offer the crew some candy canes during the holiday season. Ugh...people suck.

I hope that doesn't happen, though I imagine that's unlikely given the need to access the cockpit frequently pre-flight by gate agents, MX, FAs, as well as for one of the pilots leaving to do the preflight walk-around.

I'll bet that is an expensive fix replacing the whole throttle quadrant.

It’s time for the govt and airlines to crack down on violent behavior once and for all and with an iron fist. Enough virtue signaling and leniency for deranged animals who can’t be responsible civilians. Mandatory prison, hefty fines, and a permanent no-fly list should be in order. If you want to be a low life savage, then greyhound bus is your option.

BoeingGuy wrote:

WTF? Unbelievable.

Let me guess, he was angry that someone asked him to keep his mask on.

Can we please stop assuming that everybody who acts out on an airplane does so because they are told to wear a mask?

Sure, it's a possibility but it's also possible the guy took some kind of drug in the terminal and it kicked in as he boarded.

Does it really make sense that in response to being told to put a mask on that somebody would storm the cockpit and try to get out the window? If they were going to have that kind of reaction I would think they'd be more likely to assault the person who told them to put it on.

San Pedro Sula is a rough town in the best of circumstances. I know two North American airlines that convoy their crews to their fortified hotels with armed security.

Aaron747 wrote:

Too many people jumping the zoo walls these days.

Now, if the pilots were carrying firearms...

dcajet wrote:

The damage to the 737 flight controls



https://twitter.com/ArielSierra/status/ ... 6177977344

that looks difficult to do. perhaps they should have helped him out the window.

FlapOperator wrote:

San Pedro Sula is a rough town in the best of circumstances. I know two North American airlines that convoy their crews to their fortified hotels with armed security.

You have to wonder if, in that case, it isn't better simply to schedule the crew for same-day turns back to a hub. Hauling crew around in dangerous circumstances is asking for a lawsuit, regardless of whether insurance would pay for the legal fees. There will be times when flights will be late and the crew will have to overnight, but if it were up to me, I'd never put my crew in situations like that.

What the hell is wrong with people?

pdxav8r wrote:

This guy really showed no signs of lunacy getting past the gate agent?

It takes just a second for a gate agent to miss someone. It happened to me about 4 months ago! As soon as I passed the gate agent with my boarding pass and scanned it, I began walking down the jetbridge. There was a family with a stroller behind me. It was the perfect time for a drunk guy to sneak past and yell as he jogged down the jetbridge, "Hey dude!" I of course ignored it, assuming he wasn't talking to me. I board the plane and glance back at the guy and he is hot on my heels.

Anyways, this guy sat down next to me, and I instantly smelled the alcohol coming off his breath. He took of his mask and proceeds to bug the pregnant pilot sitting in the aisle seat. A few moments later the passenger that had the assigned seat he was now sitting in came up. That's when we asked to see his boarding pass. Nope, no boarding pass! I excused myself and went and talked to a flight attendant about the situation.

Long story short, he refused to get off the plane. To the point the agent and crew said police were on the way. I looked the guy in the eyes and told him, "if you delay this flight, I swear to God dude!" I think he knew I was not playing around and he got up and got off the plane.

Police arrived a short time later and turns out he was not on our flight, but on another flight that had departed several hours ago that he missed while likely drinking at the bar.

usdcaguy wrote:

FlapOperator wrote:

San Pedro Sula is a rough town in the best of circumstances. I know two North American airlines that convoy their crews to their fortified hotels with armed security.

You have to wonder if, in that case, it isn't better simply to schedule the crew for same-day turns back to a hub. Hauling crew around in dangerous circumstances is asking for a lawsuit, regardless of whether insurance would pay for the legal fees. There will be times when flights will be late and the crew will have to overnight, but if it were up to me, I'd never put my crew in situations like that.

I remember during Vietnam when I flew back to Bangkok from a Hong Kong trip sponsored by my local USO at Korat we had a KLM crew on our bus taking us to our hotel in Bangkok and they got dropped off in their guarded compound outside of Don Muang airport.

usdcaguy wrote:

FlapOperator wrote:

San Pedro Sula is a rough town in the best of circumstances. I know two North American airlines that convoy their crews to their fortified hotels with armed security.

You have to wonder if, in that case, it isn't better simply to schedule the crew for same-day turns back to a hub. Hauling crew around in dangerous circumstances is asking for a lawsuit, regardless of whether insurance would pay for the legal fees. There will be times when flights will be late and the crew will have to overnight, but if it were up to me, I'd never put my crew in situations like that.

I don't think they keep them there at AA. Perhaps another carrier does? The extremes, like PAP, XPL, etc, pretty sure they are all out and back, at least on AA. In PAP for sure, I would be shocked if they even left the aircraft.

Just heard on the U.S. national news that the man was released from custody after AA declined to press charges.

kiowa wrote:

dcajet wrote:

The damage to the 737 flight controls



https://twitter.com/ArielSierra/status/ ... 6177977344

that looks difficult to do. perhaps they should have helped him out the window.

Yes very difficult to do. All the levers and pilot controls in the flight deck are extremely robust to be able to survive high g loads. Someone will correct me if I am wrong, but I believe the throttles are solid metal castings.

AirKevin wrote:

dcajet wrote:

The damage to the 737 flight controls



https://twitter.com/ArielSierra/status/ ... 6177977344

When I first read damaged flight controls, that was not what I pictured at all. I thought he somehow was yanking on the yoke and broke either the yoke or one of the flight control surfaces.

You are right. Boeing usually would call the throttles pilot controls in the manuals since they are not part of the physical actuation.

Western727 wrote:

pdxav8r wrote:

This guy really showed no signs of lunacy getting past the gate agent?

I imagine he was cool enough at that point and then started freaking out while inside the 738.

Story is he ran down the jetway and into the cockpit so I don’t think being on the plane got to him. Happened before he boarded. Had a mental breakdown. But why board at all? Turn around and run away!

C182driver wrote:

Just heard on the U.S. national news that the man was released from custody after AA declined to press charges.

nine4nine wrote:

It’s time for the govt and airlines to crack down on violent behavior once and for all and with an iron fist. Enough virtue signaling and leniency for deranged animals who can’t be responsible civilians. Mandatory prison, hefty fines, and a permanent no-fly list should be in order. If you want to be a low life savage, then greyhound bus is your option.

Apparently AA doesn't share your view, nine4nine. They had a chance to do something and side-stepped it.

BoeingGuy wrote:

WTF? Unbelievable.

Let me guess, he was angry that someone asked him to keep his mask on.

Where does it say anything in the article about a mask? Why is this the assumption these days? There are probably a million (other than a mask) reasons that someone might have a psychotic break when boarding an airplane.

Maybe he though it was a MAX and wanted to get off ASAP. I'd probably jump through the window too. (This is pure satire BTW)

9lflyguy wrote:

BoeingGuy wrote:

WTF? Unbelievable.

Let me guess, he was angry that someone asked him to keep his mask on.

Where does it say anything in the article about a mask? Why is this the assumption these days? There are probably a million (other than a mask) reasons that someone might have a psychotic break when boarding an airplane.

Maybe he though it was a MAX and wanted to get off ASAP. I'd probably jump through the window too. (This is pure satire BTW)

First of all it was partially (but not entirely) a joke. Secondly, haven’t a large percentage of crew assault and air rage incidents lately been associated with mask issues?

He probably stepped on the lever when trying to climb out the window.

I think it's a bit weird that AA declined to press charges.

Weatherwatcher1 wrote:

kiowa wrote:

dcajet wrote:

The damage to the 737 flight controls



https://twitter.com/ArielSierra/status/ ... 6177977344

that looks difficult to do. perhaps they should have helped him out the window.

Yes very difficult to do. All the levers and pilot controls in the flight deck are extremely robust to be able to survive high g loads. Someone will correct me if I am wrong, but I believe the throttles are solid metal castings.

AirKevin wrote:

dcajet wrote:

The damage to the 737 flight controls



https://twitter.com/ArielSierra/status/ ... 6177977344

When I first read damaged flight controls, that was not what I pictured at all. I thought he somehow was yanking on the yoke and broke either the yoke or one of the flight control surfaces.

You are right. Boeing usually would call the throttles pilot controls in the manuals since they are not part of the physical actuation.

Yes, they are a solid piece. It requires the removal of the flight deck chairs to replace them. You'd be surprised that pilots actually break these from time to time. There is a temp repair we can do on them, but it's not easy or fast. Basically you cut it off, and use a doubler to join them together again with I have been working with Boeing for the last 5 years on developing a better repair but it's been a drawn out process. I think I hold the record for longest open Boeing Service Request haha. I believe 8 have been broken in the last 10 years at my airline. I guess it takes a new meaning to "kick back and relax."

JetBuddy wrote:

He probably stepped on the lever when trying to climb out the window.

I think it's a bit weird that AA declined to press charges.

You do have to wonder about a psychotic episode in this case, either substance-induced or caused by the typical excess dopamine levels present in schizophrenia. If that’s the case, society would be much better off getting the guy help instead of throwing him in jail, which would only exacerbate his problems and likely result in more crime.

Ok, I am sick and tired of almost every single incident rather landing, taking off, taxiing or inflight. Whats the one things in common? MIAMI. I have no idea what is continually causing these problems. Are they drunk? On drugs? Mentally stable? Folks, if you cant handle that current high stress levels at airports, then either call a therapist or find an alternate means of transportation. I really do feel sorry for the crews that have to deal with these morons. Also, ive always questioned just how accurate the DOT customer complaint numbers are. People going into or out of Miami are DIFFICULT. I would doubt you would get the same going into SLC or MSP on DL. I believe that Miami Hysteria has caused the AA complaints to be higher, much higher than they should be . Better yet lets just cut it off and make it an island. Good riddance! So i would highly recommend avoiding Miami for air connnections, for starting a cruise, or for even going in the first place. It is for young, beautiful, artificial, vain, dumb as a rock party people. Have fun.

freakyrat wrote:

I'll bet that is an expensive fix replacing the whole throttle quadrant.

Not sure that would be necessary, all it needs is a new left engine throttle

ozark1 wrote:

Ok, I am sick and tired of almost every single incident rather landing, taking off, taxiing or inflight. Whats the one things in common? MIAMI. I have no idea what is continually causing these problems. Are they drunk? On drugs? Mentally stable? Folks, if you cant handle that current high stress levels at airports, then either call a therapist or find an alternate means of transportation. I really do feel sorry for the crews that have to deal with these morons. Also, ive always questioned just how accurate the DOT customer complaint numbers are. People going into or out of Miami are DIFFICULT. I would doubt you would get the same going into SLC or MSP on DL. I believe that Miami Hysteria has caused the AA complaints to be higher, much higher than they should be . Better yet lets just cut it off and make it an island. Good riddance! So i would highly recommend avoiding Miami for air connnections, for starting a cruise, or for even going in the first place. It is for young, beautiful, artificial, vain, dumb as a rock party people. Have fun.

Did you even read what airport this was at? This was thousands of miles away in Honduras in one of the roughest cities in the world.

DBCoop3r wrote:

ozark1 wrote:

Ok, I am sick and tired of almost every single incident rather landing, taking off, taxiing or inflight. Whats the one things in common? MIAMI. I have no idea what is continually causing these problems. Are they drunk? On drugs? Mentally stable? Folks, if you cant handle that current high stress levels at airports, then either call a therapist or find an alternate means of transportation. I really do feel sorry for the crews that have to deal with these morons. Also, ive always questioned just how accurate the DOT customer complaint numbers are. People going into or out of Miami are DIFFICULT. I would doubt you would get the same going into SLC or MSP on DL. I believe that Miami Hysteria has caused the AA complaints to be higher, much higher than they should be . Better yet lets just cut it off and make it an island. Good riddance! So i would highly recommend avoiding Miami for air connnections, for starting a cruise, or for even going in the first place. It is for young, beautiful, artificial, vain, dumb as a rock party people. Have fun.

Did you even read what airport this was at? This was thousands of miles away in Honduras in one of the roughest cities in the world.

But it was headed to Miami, so it must be one and the same (being completely sarcastic here before anybody asks).

freakyrat wrote:

I'll bet that is an expensive fix replacing the whole throttle quadrant.

It'll get fixed.

Weatherwatcher1 wrote:

kiowa wrote:

dcajet wrote:

The damage to the 737 flight controls



https://twitter.com/ArielSierra/status/ ... 6177977344

that looks difficult to do. perhaps they should have helped him out the window.

Yes very difficult to do. All the levers and pilot controls in the flight deck are extremely robust to be able to survive high g loads. Someone will correct me if I am wrong, but I believe the throttles are solid metal castings.

I doubt the handle themselves are cast parts; they would have broken instead of bending like that.

Assuming the airline knows the identity of this person, could a non-judicial hearing be pursued and the miscreant refused future entry into the US? Or is this just another case because of jurisdictional ambiguities these sorts of felonious behavior never have consequences?

ozark1 wrote:

Ok, I am sick and tired of almost every single incident rather landing, taking off, taxiing or inflight. Whats the one things in common? MIAMI. I have no idea what is continually causing these problems. Are they drunk? On drugs? Mentally stable? Folks, if you cant handle that current high stress levels at airports, then either call a therapist or find an alternate means of transportation. I really do feel sorry for the crews that have to deal with these morons. Also, ive always questioned just how accurate the DOT customer complaint numbers are. People going into or out of Miami are DIFFICULT. I would doubt you would get the same going into SLC or MSP on DL. I believe that Miami Hysteria has caused the AA complaints to be higher, much higher than they should be . Better yet lets just cut it off and make it an island. Good riddance! So i would highly recommend avoiding Miami for air connnections, for starting a cruise, or for even going in the first place. It is for young, beautiful, artificial, vain, dumb as a rock party people. Have fun.

Ehhh... Given the departure airport, I doubt this is the typical Miami-centric drama that you're referring to.
Also, FWIW, there have been plenty of incidents recently that have had nothing to do with MIA.

JetBuddy wrote:

He probably stepped on the lever when trying to climb out the window.

I think it's a bit weird that AA declined to press charges.

AA probably knows pressing charges in a 3rd world country for this is a waste of time and resources and they would be fighting a loosing battle.

I think mental illness has quintupled since COVID hit. (All of u including me) are approaching this from a sanity point of view. I’m an executive at a mid-sized (6,000 employee) company, and due to a baseball bat to the head from a George Floyd attack, I’m literally missing 6 weeks of my life. My friends, family, and spouse all told me things I would never do, but did. I don’t drink these days, which makes the memory loss even more frustrating. I just hope this dude gets the help he needs, be it treatment, mental health intervention, or hospitalization that is clearly needed.

NLINK wrote:

JetBuddy wrote:

He probably stepped on the lever when trying to climb out the window.

I think it's a bit weird that AA declined to press charges.

AA probably knows pressing charges in a 3rd world country for this is a waste of time and resources and they would be fighting a loosing battle.

I agree with the above, what benefit would they get out of it? Justice in Honduras? At the cost of being in the news as a multibillion dollar American corporation that is suing someone in a third world country for a mental health crisis (as I'm sure any decent lawyer would portray it as). I cannot envision a scenario where it would be worth it to AA, even if they won, and I'm sure their legal team quickly calculated that.

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