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View Full Version : Air Canada B767 Returns to LAX following "Disturbance."


Eff Oh
28th Sep 2001, 03:25
Taken from BBC CEEFAX:

An Air Canada Boeing 767 has returned to Los Angeles airport after what has been described by the FBI as a "disturbance."

The jet bound for Toronto turned round with an escort of 2 F16 jets. The flight, AC792, with 145 pax landed safely in LAX where a man was taken into custody. An FBI spokeswoman said: "The nature of the disturbance was not known........maybe there were threats."

Seems a bit strange of the FBI to say that!!!???
Pehaps it was just an "air rage" incident and they weren't taking any chances.
Anyway all safe....Long may that continue.
Be safe everyone.
Eff Oh.

Riverman
28th Sep 2001, 05:31
Attention News and Business Editors:

Air Canada Confirms Details of Unruly Passenger Incident on Flight AC792

MONTREAL, Sept. 27 /CNW/ - Air Canada confirms the details of an incident
today involving a disruptive passenger on one of its Los Angeles-Toronto
flights, AC792. Shortly after departure at 1240 PDT en route to Toronto, a
male passenger was apprehended smoking in the lavatory. All Air Canada flights
are non-smoking.

The passenger became verbally abusive and uttered an anti-American
threat. There was no physical aggression. In-flight crew handled the situation
professionally. The pilot elected to return to Los Angeles as a precautionary
measure.

The aircraft made a routine landing at approximately 1345 PDT. There were
138 passengers and ten crew members. Safety of passengers and crew was never
compromised.

Consistent with heightened security awareness, local authorities
implemented stringent security measures. Air Canada will not provide comments
on details of security measures implemented by the authorities.

The unruly passenger and his travelling companion have been detained by
local authorities. All other passengers will be re-accommodated on later
flights.

huntsman
28th Sep 2001, 06:18
and his companion? :confused:

15/15 flex
28th Sep 2001, 08:39
Bet he's kicking himself now....and hopefully being shown the error of his ways. Not clever at the moment, not clever at all.

Gaza
28th Sep 2001, 14:02
BBC News report an Iranian man is in custody following a row about a cigarette. As stated above he made anti-American comments.

LatviaCalling
28th Sep 2001, 14:16
Following is a little more information on the AC scare.
---
Iranian arrested in LA hijack scare
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 27 (UPI) -- An Air Canada jet made a dramatic
unprecedented landing accompanied by two Air Force fighter jets at Los
Angeles International Airport on Thursday after an Iranian passenger
reportedly created a loud disturbance that apparently triggered a near panic
among the other 137 passengers.

On the same day that President George W. Bush spoke at a rally in Chicago
to "get back on board" U.S. airlines, the Boeing 767 touched down with an
F-16 flying off each wingtip and a bevy of police officers and an FBI SWAT
team waiting.

The gray F-16s roared off over the Pacific after the airliner taxied to a
remote area of the airport and was quickly boarded by the heavily armed
agents dressed in all black.

"We were looking down the corridor, and there must have been 10 of them
(SWAT agents), side by side and all tightly packed together with their guns
out, totally covered in black and screaming 'get your head down,'" passenger
Bruce Fitzgerald told KABC-TV. "That was a really frightening experience. It
almost seemed like a movie."

Air Canada Flight 792 had been en route from Los Angeles to Toronto with
138 passengers and seven crew members when a passenger identified as Javid
Naghani, 37, allegedly lit up a cigarette in a lavatory.

"We all knew as soon as we smelled smoke that we were probably going to
have to turn back," another passenger, Kim Powell, told reporters.

Witnesses on the flight told agents that Naghani was discovered by a
flight attendant who loudly told him smoking on airliners was banned by U.S.
law.

"The male passenger allegedly became abusive with the flight attendant and
made disparaging statements against the United States," the FBI said in a
press release. "The pilot communicated information and stated that he would
be returning to the airport as a precautionary measure."

The incident, however, shook up the other passengers, many of whom said
they were shocked at the aggressive response by the authorities.

"When we landed, that's when things got a little surreal," said passenger
Joe Futtner. "That was a little disconcerting."

The pair of Air Force fighter jets was dispatched to escort the Canadian
jet back to Los Angeles where Naghani was taken into custody and turned over
to the FBI, which routinely investigates disruptions aboard airliners, on
suspicion of interfering with a flight crew.

The suspect will be in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on Friday
morning.

markbingo
28th Sep 2001, 14:25
What was he thinking ??

Has he been in a closet for the last 2 weeks ?

I hope they throw the book at him to make a point. Passengers MUST behave themselves or their own saftey is at stake.

I'm surprised the guy wasn't lynched by the passengers near him ! He could have been killed, and the passengers would probably have got away with it right now .. :eek:

Goingdownagain
28th Sep 2001, 18:35
Of course, this merely strengthens the ALPA argument for guns in the cockpit. If the Captain had just shot him the flight could have carried on to its destination without any further inconvenience to passengers.

rustbucket732
28th Sep 2001, 18:47
What this merely demonstrates is the over reaction of everybody involved. It's sad when freak outs like this occur by the crew, can't they excercise rational judgement?
Flames welcome
RB732
Commander 737-200

PETERJ
28th Sep 2001, 21:42
RB....yup just another example of how the agents of the Great Satan persecute true believers........eh I thought they were not supposed to smoke ?. Still I hope the authorities land the pair with the fuel bills for the F 16,s and other costs :eek:

LatviaCalling
28th Sep 2001, 22:29
Rustbucket732,

I disagree. With the world at present time looking like a tinderbox, you get one Middle Eastern type, first of all daring to smoke in the lav, and then hurling anti-American abuses at the FA, If I was the AC pilot, I would have locked my door tight and called for reinforcements. And that's exactly what he did, because he didn't know whether this was a ruse or the real thing aimed to distract from a real hijacking.

This action may deter terrorism, but I tell you one thing, this will certainly put a heavy damper on air rage which we have been discussing on this forum for over a year now. Even for those sickos there is nowhere to hide anymore.

Tartan Giant
28th Sep 2001, 23:35
I fully agree with RustBucket - a total over reaction.

Some idiot smokes in the toilet and it results in a RTB and Fighter escort - that is just stupid.

Get the clown seen to at destination, ban him from flying again; that's the way to deal with it.
Scaring the whole passenger cabin and costing a fortune into the bargain, is going too far - just for one pathetic, ignorant, swine.

I can't agree at all with your summation LatviaCalling.

TG

tired
28th Sep 2001, 23:51
Tartan G - the reaction on the ground certainly sounds OTT - SWAT teams and all that once the a/c had landed safely - but I don't think the crew's reaction in the air, nor the calling out of the F16s, was excessive. With hindsight it turned out to be a harmeless incident, but no one knew that at the time. It could very well have been a diversion for something more sinister - or maybe bin Laden's boys are testing the waters to see if we're all taking security as seriously as we say we are. Who knows.......

Anyway, I would have done exactly the same thing that AC skipper did, except maybe I would have called for the pax to imobilise the guy and make sure he was incapable of doing any harm - read into that what you will.

LatviaCalling
28th Sep 2001, 23:56
Tartan Giant,

I agree with you in normal times. But remember, the U.S. is reeling from what happened. These are not normal times and when a so-called "Middle Eastern" type goes loony, its time to call in the forces.

Normally, they would have plastic-cuffed him and turned him over to the Toronto police upon landing. Now, nobody knows what the plan would be.

Fly-by-night
29th Sep 2001, 00:41
So what were the F16s doing there? Ready to shoot the aircraft down if things got out of hand? Where's the threat? From an overseas terrorist organisation, or from your own defense organisations?

WhatsaLizad?
29th Sep 2001, 03:50
The responses here to this incident are pathetic.


What a bunch of armchair idiots.

1. What really did this guy say? we don't know, we weren't there. Was it just a little harmless smoking, or the start of some diversionary tactic?, just sit there at your little keyboards and pass some more judgment.

2. Why were the fighters there? What cave have you guys been in?

3. "I say there old chap, what an overreaction". One might think that none of you have never operated in an ATC enviroment where miscommunication on the true nature of a problem occurs. I am sure it was totally clear that the AC crew was still in charge on that aircraft, or was it? Just ignore that 250,000 cruise missle inbound to a major city, its nothing.


Are some of the names here the same ones who thought the Southwest Airlines passengers overreacted when they killed the deranged passenger? Go review that thread.

Rollingthunder
29th Sep 2001, 05:30
"1. What really did this guy say? we don't know, we weren't there."

Apparently during a loud back and forth with the flight attendants he (an Iranian, legally in the U.S.A.) shouted "Death to America" but wasn't violent, and pax did not subdue him.

All in all, a pro reaction all round, including the masked police tactical squad removal on the ground and formate F16s.

And he won't be flying with us again. What a MORON.

Mert
29th Sep 2001, 08:19
WhatsaLizad,
I agree with you 100%

Rick28
29th Sep 2001, 14:56
Congrats to the crew and ATC who set it all up. It's too bad people were frightened when the SWAT team stormed the plane but this would make ME feel safer as a passenger, nothing is taken lightly anymore. I hope this guy gets nailed to the fullest extent of the law!!!
Those who say it was an overeaction....where do we draw the line??? What becomes acceptable behavior? Any abuse should be dealth with like this. 0 Tolerance... just think about it...

xband
29th Sep 2001, 17:37
Seems to me typical case of "Smoking while Iranian".
Shame on him.

Wino
29th Sep 2001, 18:46
Tartan

Any diversion at this point is being looked at suspiciously, as we don't know what is REALLY going on in the cockpit. So if you divert you will be escorted. No big deal really as long as you continue to behave rationally. Dive for the deck start terrain hugging at barber pole and you might be in for a short flight however.

As to the pax being frightened on the ground. I suspect that most of them didn't see the incident in question that provoked the response, they only saw the response. I further submit to you that those pax that were seated near the lav were VERY greatfull of the same armed response.

In my air rage case from 2 years ago it was a similar thing. The people in the back of the plane that never saw anything were frightened by manchester's finest pouring into the aircraft. The people in the front that saw the jerk kick open the cockpit door were very greatfull and a suprising large number of them showed up in crown court to testify.

All in all, if you disobey a flight attendant and start shouting anti american slogans, expect that sort of treatment from now on, as it SHOULD BE!.

Cheers
Wino

Paterbrat
29th Sep 2001, 19:09
Since recent events were extreme to the point of surreal unreality, it would behove anyone traveling by air to be extremely circumspect, or to expect somewhat extreme reaction to any innapropriate behaviour. If our Iranian friend hadn't worked that one out perhaps he has by now, and with any luck, served as a reminder to any other dimbo who hasn't got the message that right now isn't the right time for being a jerk.