Mid-air furore forces unplanned landing

[ringin]

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,24960422-29277,00.html (http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,24960422-29277,00.html)

January 25, 2009 06:20am



Police have charged a man after a disturbance on a plane which was forced to make an unscheduled landing at Sydney Airport.

Virgin Blue flight 707, en route from Hobart to Brisbane, was diverted to Sydney at 9pm on Saturday after cabin staff reported continued intimidation and abuse from a passenger.

Police entered the plane and arrested the 28-year-old man from Taree.

Officers say the man resisted arrest and struggled violently, making threats and spitting at them.

[Mr. Hat]

go to jail, don't come back, life ban - goodbye.

zero tollerance.

[FRQ Charlie Bravo]

go to jail, don't come back, life ban - goodbye.

zero tollerance.

Hear hear! And bill him for the cost of the diversion.

FRQ CB

[framer]

I'll second that.
It might make the next fruit loops think twice as well.

[AerocatS2A]

Except that fruit loops don't think. Deterrents only work for normal people (and normal people don't need a deterrent anyway.)

[framer]

Good point. It'l just keep the fruit loops off the plane for a while and go towards recovering the costs of diverting then. That'l do.

[aussiepax]

Well if drugs or alcohol were involved, then yes throw the book at him. I would like to wait and see what this guy's mental state examination was first. While the situation was of course shocking and dangerous, untreated mental illness needs to be considered before throwing away the key to the cell.....

BTW he was lucky to come out of it alive. IIRC a similar case in the USA ended with the protagonist fatally constrained.

[das Uber Soldat]

BTW he was lucky to come out of it alive. IIRC a similar case in the USA ended with the protagonist fatally constrained.

Darwin 1
Idiot 0

[adsyj]

Hard job to be a cop nowadays.

In the not so distant past our friend here would of been appearing in court next day after a bit of overnight attitude adjustment.

[Mr. Hat]

Easy - one explicit warning on board. Diversion and offload = life ban.

People pay hard earned money to sit in a sardine can arrangement ,they certainly don't need to be witness to carry on as well. Top that off Airline staff are hardly in the need for it either.

[Stationair8]

Some do gooder judge with give the bloke a slap over the wrist with a wet tram ticket.

[DutchRoll]

Unfortunately he probably will get off lightly.

So I hope the cops used "all necessary force" to restrain him, and introduced him intimately to the back door of the paddy wagon.

[Captain Sand Dune]

Can an Australian carrier unilaterally ban induviduals from travelling on their aircraft?

[The PM]

Why not? They are effectively private businesses, not government owned public transport.No difference between a shop banning individuals from their premises and an airline refusing to carry a person.

[Dark Knight]

In the not so distant past our friend here would of been appearing in court next day after a bit of overnight attitude adjustment.And his race may have contributed to the behaviour and have a decided effect on any decision handed down.

DK

[Qantas 787]

This guy, along with all the others, will get away with no punishment (maybe a small fine if that). They should pay back the cost of the diversion as a minimum, as well as life ban from all airlines. It is not only the cost to the airline, it is the inconvience to all of passengers as well.

[Mr. Hat]

Could you fathom causing this much disruption to so many people?

'Spitting' passenger forces down plane

AAP
January 26, 2009 09:20am

Air attack ... the Virgin Blue flight from Hobart to Brisbane, was diverted to Sydney after cabin staff reported continued intimidation and abuse from a passenger / AFP POLICE have charged a man after a disturbance on a plane which was forced to make an unscheduled landing at Sydney Airport. Virgin Blue flight 707, en route from Hobart to Brisbane, was diverted to Sydney at 9pm on Saturday after cabin staff reported continued intimidation and abuse from a passenger.

Police entered the plane and arrested the 28-year-old man from Taree.
Officers say the man resisted arrest and struggled violently, making threats and spitting at them.

He's also accused of kicking out at police and punching a cell door at the nearby Mascot Police Station.

The man was charged with destroying or damaging property, offensive behaviour, threatening the safety of an aircraft and intimidating police.

No one was injured during the incident.

The man faced Parramatta Bail Court yesterday and was granted bail.

[Carrier]

Several posters consider the culprit should reimburse the airline for the cost of the diversion. Why should the airline be the only party to be reimbursed? The airline was not the only party that was inconvenienced. Surely all pax who were delayed, missed connections, felt threatened, etc, should also be able to sue him. So should individual employees, particularly the cabin crew who probably took the brunt of the abuse. They should not have to put up with that nonsense at work.
Get judgements then send in bailiffs to seize and sell personal property and vehicles, attach bank accounts, wages and pensions, unemployment hand-outs, etc!

[NAMPS]

Violent man on diverted flight charged - National - smh.com.au (http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/violent-man-on-diverted-flight-charged/2009/01/25/1232818248018.html)

Violent man on diverted flight charged
Malcolm Brown
January 26, 2009

A FORMER Taree dishwasher with a history of violence became so intimidating on a Virgin Blue flight on Saturday that the aircraft had to be diverted to Sydney where he was arrested, Parramatta Local Court heard yesterday.

Ryan James Churchill, 29, who had lived in the Agincourt Motel in Taree while working there, was now living in Sydney and was unemployed.

In a statement tended to the court police alleged Churchill boarded the flight in Hobart but soon became disruptive, wanting to go to the toilet before the seatbelt sign was switched off.

Police claim that a little later Churchill ordered a beer with his meal and immediately asked for another one. When the flight attendant told him she would attend to the other passengers first, they say he yelled: "Who are you, slut, not to serve me?"

For the next 30 minutes he allegedly screamed abuse at flight attendants and some passengers, causing the pilot, who had been flying to Brisbane, to divert to Sydney. The plane landed at 9pm.

At Sydney Airport, police boarded. They say Churchill refused to go quietly, thrashing his arms about and becoming so violent that he had to be handcuffed. At Botany Bay police station they claim he spat into the dock and urinated on the floor.

Churchill is alleged to have said to a police officer: "When I get out of here I am going to run amok, get a gun and kill you c---s".

He was charged with NSW and Commonwealth offences, including disorderly conduct in an aircraft and endangering the safety of an aircraft or passengers.

He was remanded to appear in Kogarah Local Court tomorrow.

[Bullethead]

I was chatting with an AFP officer in MEL recently and asked him the best way to contact them if the need arises and he said if the problem occurs airborne make the request through ATC and the AFP will meet the a/c in the aerobridge or on the ground or both if required.

If you need AFP assistance on the gound then call 131AFP, this call goes to the OPS centre in Canberra, tell them which airport and gate you are at and response will be quick smart.

Info from the Australian Federal Police - AFP (http://www.afp.gov.au) website.


Police attendance at Airports/ You require police assistance at InternationalAirports at both Domestic and International terminals/ Ph: 131 AFP (131 237)

Regards,
BH

[FRQ Charlie Bravo]

Charming fellow

[FlyingSoloforNow]

Well, I was a passenger on the plane and can only say the guy didn't resist arrest at least when the coppers entered the plane and there's a chance it's been a bit trumped up if its Virgin. Nobody in the front section of the plane even knew there was any drama. I'm a frequent flyer and usually find them fine but once I was threatened with being offloaded from the plane when I queried them moving my bags from the overhead locker above me to one behind me many rows back which would have made it practically impossible to retrieve it when the plane landed. Anyway, the plane was only an hour late into Brisbane on Saturday nite and I've had far worse delays caused by the airlines themselves. I'm not saying the guy was a saint but Virgin staff often have a super arrogant attitude and that can get people's goat.

[Mr. Hat]

once I was threatened with being offloaded from the plane when I queried them moving my bags from the overhead locker

Hmmm there might be a few extra details to this one me thinks...

[AerocatS2A]

I'm a frequent flyer and usually find them fine but once I was threatened with being offloaded from the plane when I queried them moving my bags from the overhead locker above me to one behind me many rows back which would have made it practically impossible to retrieve it when the plane landed
Gasp! Heaven forbid you'd have to sit and wait for other passengers to get off before retrieved your bags (I'm not sure I'd call that "practically impossible".) I've never really understood this, everyone's in such a hurry to get off the plane so they can all rush down to the baggage carousel and.... stand around waiting for their bags. Personally, I'd rather sit back in my seat for a while, wait for the crowd to thin out a bit, wander leisurely out of the plane and down to baggage collection and not have to spend so long on my feet, YMMV.

[Capt Fathom]

Weird how supposed passengers suddenly pop up on pprune! :=