The last thing that any of us want to hear while we're in the air is that our plane's pilot just went nuts. We trust these airlines to get us to our destinations, and of course, sometimes there are mechanical mishaps, but you never want to be a part of an instance where your pilot goes crazy while he's flying your plane. This was not the case for JetBlue flight 191 flying from JFK in New York to McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas carrying 135 passengers and five crew members.
It turns out, a JetBlue pilot flipped his bird on Tuesday, running up and down the aisle raving about terrorists and bombs after his frightened co-pilot locked him out of the cockpit. Captain Clayton Osbon's midair breakdown took place on a packed flight with some burly New Yorkers traveling to an International Security Conference in Las Vegas. What a flight to have your breakdown on, huh?
Osbon ran up and down the aisles screaming "They're going to takes us down; they're going to take us down! Say the Lord's Prayer, say the Lord's prayer!" 49-year-old Osbon was taken down all right! Four of those International Security guys took Osbon down and restrained him when he made a move toward the emergency exit. An off-duty JetBlue pilot, who happened to be on the flight, helped make an emergency landing in Texas.
On passenger quoted the pilot as saying, "Iraq, Al Queda, terrorism, we're all going down!" A retired NYPD Sergeant said that he viewed Osbon as a terrorist, and not a pilot, but a person who wanted to harm the plane and everyone on it, and that he needed to be taken down. The former Sergeant went on to say that Osbon just picked the wrong plane because some pretty big guys tackled him to the ground. If 9/11 taught us anything, it was to be vigilant in instances like this. Wow! I have to commend the fliers on that plane for doing what they needed to do to keep everyone safe. I'm not really sure how I would've reacted in the situation. I could sit here and write to you that I would've pounced on the guy as well, but if the situation were right in front of me, I'm really not sure how I would've reacted. I would like to think adrenaline would’ve kicked in and attack mode was turned on, but I can't tell you that for sure.
At the airport in Amarillo, Texas, the flight was met with police, where Osbon was taken on a dolly with his hands tied behind his back to a hospital with an undisclosed medical condition. The shake-up passengers boarded a new plane to Vegas a few hours later, and I would hope that JetBlue gave these passengers vouchers for another upcoming flight for the next five years. That's what I would expect if I was on that flight!
Osbon had been flying for JetBlue since the airline launched in 2000. According to 2011 magazine that profiled Osbon, he spent his life flying and had flown 35 different types of aircrafts. He also did a stint piloting luxury jets around the world and he even lived in Portugal and France. This guy really sounded like a good guy, but I guess you really don't know someone until their true selves come out. This story is scary and sad at the same time, but oh well, as long as there wasn't tragedy in our 'friendly' skies yesterday, so be it!
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