UK & World News
- 19 April 2012, 17:54
JetBlue 'Meltdown' Pilot To Plead Insanity
A JetBlue pilot who had to be wrestled to the ground by passengers after his midair meltdown forced an emergency landing in Texas last month is set to plead insanity.
Clayton Osbon, 49, was charged with interfering in the operations of a flight crew after he allegedly screamed and pounded on the cockpit door, forcing a March 27 flight from New York to Las Vegas to land in Amarillo.
Osbon has been undergoing court-ordered psychiatric examination to determine if he can stand trial, but the result of that examination is not yet known. His lawyer's bid for the insanity defence was revealed in court documents.
The pilot had to be subdued and forcibly restrained from re-entering the cockpit, according to court papers.
FBI documents said Osbon began saying, "Things just don't matter" while he was at the controls of the Airbus A320 about halfway into the five-hour flight.
Then he is said to have told the flight's first officer, "We're not going to Vegas."
The pilot suddenly left the cockpit and started running up and down the aisle, banging on a bathroom door, before he attempted to force his way back into the locked cockpit.
Several passengers restrained him until the plane landed.
The FBI said that while he was being restrained, Osbon yelled, "Pray now for Jesus Christ," and started yelling about Iraq, Iran and terrorists.
At one point he is said to have shouted toward the cockpit, "Guys, push it to full throttle!"
There was no comment from either his lawyers or the prosecution on the insanity defence.
Update:
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what do you think?
amj67
he needs help not jail
lucy shaxted
Not sure , obviously something happened to make him react like this ! but who knows ... not normal behavior of an airline pilot , so why ? the everyday stresses of life ! and all that is happening in the world today ??!! hope they can get to the bottom of it , for his and his family's sake ....
David Wragg
Poor man, and poor passengers and fellow crew members as it must have been terrifying. NOW, ORANGE, the plane shown on the news headlines is NOT an A320 but an E190 or E195.
kevin
Not even made by the same company ,spot on David
snape
how can he plead insanity ? he acted exactly as i do regulary and there is nothing wrong with me.
TheKarmacanic
Are you a pilot?
Adrian Wagstaff
This appears to relate, in a way, to earlier discussions of mine concerning increasing Earth population affecting psychotic minds. 20 billion people = 3 to 4 times more psychopaths. Psychopaths, historically tend to find one psychopathic friend. This does NOT mathematically affect the outcome of magnetic pole theories due to the two psychopaths tending to extinguish themselves. To be brief, psychopaths hate groups, more people = more psychopaths, computing = more intelligent psychopaths with easier access to communications, weapons data, political data, map data, etc. Increasing global population = increasing numbers of more irritated and far more intelligent psychopaths = far worse with improving plans, weapons, etc.
MANUELA2
what about if he was overworked, what rest day and break regulations do they have there?, they do not come under European working directive
Mike Eaton
3:36pm on 19/4/2012
Pretty obvious the guy had 'flipped' Insanity is the only way to go - if only temporary insanity! Actually I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often in todays carzy society