Captain Ed
21st Oct 2000, 20:56
OCTOBER 20, 22:05 EDT
Brain Problem Blamed in Jet Attack
By KIM CURTIS
Associated Press Writer
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A hulking
passenger who broke into the
cockpit of an Alaska Airlines plane
and lunged for the controls last
March was suffering a rare
reaction to encephalitis, lawyers
on both sides agreed.
Prosecutors and the defense
attorney for Peter Bradley, 39,
were working Friday on a plea
bargain.
Bradley has no memory of the
attack, and experts needed
weeks to unravel the medical
mystery, according to his attorney, Jerrold Ladar. They concluded
that encephalitis — an inflammation of the brain — had made him
delirious.
The plane was traveling from Mexico to San Francisco on March 16
when Bradley, returning from a family reunion, began babbling
incoherently, stripping off his clothes and wandering from seat to
seat. He then broke into the cockpit yelling, "I'm going to kill you!''
and grabbed for the controls.
The pilot momentarily lost control of the jet as the co-pilot used an
ax to fend off Bradley, who is 6-foot-2 and weighs 250 pounds.
Passengers tackled him and held him down.
Bradley was charged with committing a violent act likely to endanger
an airplane and assaulting a flight crew, federal offenses that carry
up to 20 years in prison each. A trial had been set for Oct. 30.
He was freed on $100,000 bail and returned to his job as a carpenter
in Blue Springs, Mo. He has suffered no subsequent outbursts.
Bradley's behavior mystified doctors and lawyers, friends and family.
He had no alcohol or illegal drugs in his system and no history of
psychiatric problems. His only run-ins with the law were two traffic
violations in 1979.
He had been suffering from headaches for almost a month, however,
and his condition worsened with a lack of sleep and the changing air
pressure in the plane, his lawyer said. Doctors finally considered
encephalitis.
Doctors on both sides agreed on the diagnosis, Ladar wrote in court
papers. "Two highly qualified neurologists ... concur that Mr.
Bradley was in a delirious state as a result of encephalitis,'' the
lawyer said.
"When he read the reports from the passengers about what
happened, he was horrified,'' Ladar said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Hall said Friday that while doctors from
both sides had agreed on the encephalitis diagnosis, the court should
find Bradley committed a crime while temporarily insane and not
dismiss charges on the grounds of a medical condition.
The judge said he would rule next month on that point. Bradley is
expected in court Thursday to give permission in response to the
prosecution's request for a psychiatric evaluation.
Brain Problem Blamed in Jet Attack
By KIM CURTIS
Associated Press Writer
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A hulking
passenger who broke into the
cockpit of an Alaska Airlines plane
and lunged for the controls last
March was suffering a rare
reaction to encephalitis, lawyers
on both sides agreed.
Prosecutors and the defense
attorney for Peter Bradley, 39,
were working Friday on a plea
bargain.
Bradley has no memory of the
attack, and experts needed
weeks to unravel the medical
mystery, according to his attorney, Jerrold Ladar. They concluded
that encephalitis — an inflammation of the brain — had made him
delirious.
The plane was traveling from Mexico to San Francisco on March 16
when Bradley, returning from a family reunion, began babbling
incoherently, stripping off his clothes and wandering from seat to
seat. He then broke into the cockpit yelling, "I'm going to kill you!''
and grabbed for the controls.
The pilot momentarily lost control of the jet as the co-pilot used an
ax to fend off Bradley, who is 6-foot-2 and weighs 250 pounds.
Passengers tackled him and held him down.
Bradley was charged with committing a violent act likely to endanger
an airplane and assaulting a flight crew, federal offenses that carry
up to 20 years in prison each. A trial had been set for Oct. 30.
He was freed on $100,000 bail and returned to his job as a carpenter
in Blue Springs, Mo. He has suffered no subsequent outbursts.
Bradley's behavior mystified doctors and lawyers, friends and family.
He had no alcohol or illegal drugs in his system and no history of
psychiatric problems. His only run-ins with the law were two traffic
violations in 1979.
He had been suffering from headaches for almost a month, however,
and his condition worsened with a lack of sleep and the changing air
pressure in the plane, his lawyer said. Doctors finally considered
encephalitis.
Doctors on both sides agreed on the diagnosis, Ladar wrote in court
papers. "Two highly qualified neurologists ... concur that Mr.
Bradley was in a delirious state as a result of encephalitis,'' the
lawyer said.
"When he read the reports from the passengers about what
happened, he was horrified,'' Ladar said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Hall said Friday that while doctors from
both sides had agreed on the encephalitis diagnosis, the court should
find Bradley committed a crime while temporarily insane and not
dismiss charges on the grounds of a medical condition.
The judge said he would rule next month on that point. Bradley is
expected in court Thursday to give permission in response to the
prosecution's request for a psychiatric evaluation.