Originally Posted by
das Uber Soldat
If you takeoff, you're dead anyway. Except everyone else dies too. All you can do is fight him on the ground. A long gun would be difficult to wield in a 320 cockpit and there are two of you. Whatever the end result, the plane isn't leaving the ground.
Circa 1987 there was a similar event with an Air Nauru 737 in Tarawa, Kiribati. The aircraft had landed and taxied to the terminal. When the airstairs were lowered a local Kiribati man ran up the stairs, knocked the hostie aside, entered the flight deck and lashed out with his fists at the captain and F/O both of whom still had their harnesses on. The captain received a gash to his head but both were helpless to react due being in their seats and tied in as it were.
Outside the aircraft were company staff and health officer ready to spray cabin. A passenger in the front row of seats leapt up and grabbed the assailant from behind and pulled him to the floor. By now the F/O undid his harness and left the cockpit and together with the passenger managed to throw the assailant down the air stairs where he was led away without a struggle by airline staff. The captain then made a PA saying "Ladies and gentlemen - we apologise for the incident as this is not the normal standard of our inflight entertainment."
Subsequent investigation revealed the attacker had a hut where he lived among the palm trees adjoing the flight strip at the end of the runway. On several occasions when the 737 did a 180 while lining up for take off, the jet blast had blown away the palm tree roof of his hut.. He was heartily pissed off about this and decided to sort it out with the pilots of the next arriving 737. He was charged but let off with a caution due to a sympathetic judge
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