F1 Mechanic Sacked over Air Rage

[sirwa69]

According to reports in the British press, a top mechanic employed by McLaren has been fired from the Woking outfit after going berserk on a flight from Phuket. Vincent Mallet was accused of harassing passengers on board the plane and despite the airline's refusal to press charges, the Formula One squad was quick to relieve him of his duties.

“After looking into the matter we decided to terminate his contract immediately," a spokesperson for the team remarked.

Apparently the mechanic had been drinking heavily at the time of the incident where he went on an ‘air rage' and began tormenting his fellow passengers with rather childlike behaviour. The ruckus was that bad that the pilot was forced to return the aircraft to Bangkok where the crew took thirty minutes to handcuff him.

"He had been drinking whisky. He started to slap the faces and heads of other passengers and made a loud noise, scaring people,” a spokesperson for the airline was quoted as saying in the Sun. “Then he entered the galley for more drinks and threw ice cubes."

:mad:

Well Done McLaren. :)

If anyone's interested the above came from the F1-Live website.
F1-Live (http://www.f1-live.com/f1-2001/en/headlines/news/detail/011205014435.shtml)

[ 05 December 2001: Message edited by: sirwa69 ]

[Eff Oh]

Yeah, saw this in the UK press yeaterday. The incident took place about an hour into the flight. The crew dumped fuel (reported as 33 tonnes) and returned. He was arrested, and pulled "funny" faces during his "mug shots"! :rolleyes: He was supposedly facing jail, but they let him go after he paid £20,000 for the cost of the dumped fuel!
I am obviously in the wrong job! :eek:
Eff Oh.

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

What about the cost of everyone's wasted time? Tosser.

SSD

[MaximumPete]

Sounds like a "classic" Air Rage incident.

Why was he allowed more and more to drink? Perhaps he had a skinfull before he got on, not unknown, and then topped himself up from the aircraft supplies.

Why did they let him go? Does the law out there not treat this behavior as an arrestable offence?

MP
:confused:

[Roadtrip]

They should have recovered in Singapore where they could have fined him AND whipped his arse into a blood pulp. Those kind of people usually only understand force.

[Justin Abeaver]

Recovered what? The seats; a sofa; some chairs?

Send 'em down or deport them to the Isle of Man for a good birching. Or have they done away with that?

[Pom Pax]

"He escaped prosecution after paying £20,000 compensation to the airline for wasted aviation fuel. He also paid a £30 fine for unruly behaviour."

These are only the reported amounts.

I was once told "All things Thai are negotiable"

[zoru]

evidently they released him only after he signed a document promising to pay the 20 grand fine...looks like lots of fun for the lawyers to get their teeth into.

[bblank]

In today's USA Today there is a report that the FAA failed to collect fines in about two-thirds of the unruly-passenger cases it handled. Story here: http://www.usatoday.com/news/attack/2001/12/06/faa-usat.htm