Flight Attendant Accused of Attacking Own Crew CLT-FRA-CLT

[Airbubba]

A coworker who is not able to function properly and may be dangerous. Her behavior is erratic and increasingly bizarre. Obviously, she was not doing well mentally for some reason. I hope she gets whatever help she needs to address her personal issues.

In times past the captain would offload her and let them sort it out on the ground. Was there a miscommunication of some sort? Why couldn't the purser or chief cabin or whatever have her replaced before departure in CLT?

Even harder to believe she was allowed to operate the return sector. :confused:

An American Airlines flight attendant faces federal charges after she began attacking fellow crew members and U.S. marshals on both legs of an international flight from Charlotte.

Joanne Snow is charged with interference with flight crew members and attendants, and assault on an officer or employee of the United States, according to court documents related to the case.

Snow’s erratic behavior disrupted both legs of American flight 704 from Charlotte to Frankfurt, Germany, on Nov. 23 and 24, according to a federal affidavit.

According to the affidavit by federal Air Marshal Joseph D. Fialka, who was assigned to the round trip, Snow slapped other flight attendants and shoved, punched or kicked at marshals. Fialka says that other flight attendants told him before takeoff from Charlotte that they had tried to have Snow removed from duty but that American did not replace her.

American spokeswoman Katie Cody released this statement midday Monday:

“We are aware of the incident, along with the subsequent criminal complaint, and take this matter very seriously. We are cooperating fully with federal law enforcement in their investigation, and are working directly with our employees. The safety and security of our customers and employees is always the top priority.”

In his affidavit, Fialka said Snow confessed to him several times before takeoff that she was “crazy” or a “train wreck.”

Once the doors closed, another attendant told Fialka that Snow had slapped her in the middle galley of the airport. Some 45 minutes later, Fialka says, Snow shoved him several times.

“She was quite irrational at this time,” the marshal said in his affidavit. “She proceeded to the back of the plane, I learned that, while in the back of the plane, she grabbed the collar of the clothing (of another marshal) ... and spoke nonsensical things.”

Later, Fialka said he tried to calm Snow. In response, she struck him twice with her open palm in his chest, he said. “The force of this action moved me back. I weigh considerably more than Snow.”

The behavior continued and disrupted the rest of the flight, then resumed on the trip back to Charlotte with the same crew in place, the affidavit says.

Flight attendant accused of attacking own crew on Charlotte international flight | The Charlotte Observer (http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/crime/article47152575.html)

When the flight landed in Charlotte, Snow reportedly became more agitated and upset than she had at any point in the previous two days.

She reportedly began yelling and screaming "the Air Marshals are gonna get me!" and attempted to bypass the passport control officer and get into the airport.

She was detained by the air marshal and placed in handcuffs. When she got into the interview room, she reportedly laid completely on her side. When the air marshal reached down to lift her back up, he says she kicked him five or six times on his legs.


Affidavit: Flight attendant calls self 'crazy,' 'train wreck' be - WBTV 3 News, Weather, Sports, and Traffic for Charlotte, NC (http://www.wbtv.com/story/30630354/affidavit-flight-attendant-calls-self-crazy-train-wreck-before-assaulting-co-worker-during-flight)

[G-CPTN]

In times past the captain would offload her and let them sort it out on the ground. Was there a miscommunication of some sort? Why couldn't the purser or chief cabin or whatever have her replaced before departure in CLT?

Even harder to believe she was allowed to operate the return sector.
It's possible that it was only the presence of the Air Marshal that brought this matter to a head.

I'm not suggesting that the Marshal catalysed the behaviour, merely that the Marshal was a competent witness to what might have been considered accepted behaviour by the rest of the crew.

flight attendants had tried to have Snow removed from duty but that American did not replace her

[wanabee777]

flight attendants had tried to have Snow removed from duty but that American did not replace her

The FAA is going to have a field day with this.

[SMT Member]

That's taking the sterotypical grumpy US biscuit chucker reputation to a whole new level!

The FAA is going to have a field day with this.

One would hope so!

[Airbubba]

Here is the criminal complaint referenced in the news reports:

http://media.cmgdigital.com/shared/news/documents/2015/11/30/Flight_attendant_complaint.pdf

As the Affiant says:

I have worked around SNOW several times prior to this. Her behavior on November 23 and 24, 2015, was exceptionally unusual.

[Union Jack]

It's possible that it was only the presence of the Air Marshal that brought this matter to a head.
- G-CPTN

Interesting to note that there were (at least) three marshals on board the flight concerned.

Jack

[WillowRun 6-3]

Okay, so if the conduct described (in "allegedly" terms) qualifies as "exceptionally unusual" - where is the line between acceptably unusual with respect to lesser instances of the same conduct, and "exceptionally unusual"?
:confused:

[finfly1]

Am VERY curious as to whether AA will be able to justify their refusal to replace her on the return flight.

That such behavior could occur one way stretches credibility. That they put her right back on another leg is just, well, insane.

[G-CPTN]

No replacement available? - the show must go on. . .

[peekay4]

Am VERY curious as to whether AA will be able to justify their refusal to replace her on the return flight.
It's unclear if AA was actually notified re: the alleged events on the outbound flight.

The Complaint was only filed after the second flight, and she was arrested only after she went berserk in the Customs area. Otherwise, the Air Marshalls weren't planning to take any action either.

I hope she gets the help that she needs. It's sad that in this industry and in society in general, mental health is often not cared for properly, with taboos and fear of repercussions.

[rottenray]

on both legs of an international flight from Charlotte.

This is the part which is frightening - a single incident, okay, roll her off, get help, etc.

BOTH ROUTES?!

If this is true, she has some wonderful, forgiving peers which she doesn't deserve.


Cue up the fumes people, the PTSD people, the radiation people, perhaps even the chemtrail people. Thanks, Obama.

[RadarContactLost]

[QUOTE][
I hope she gets the help that she needs. It's sad that in this industry and in society in general, mental health is often not cared for properly, with taboos and fear of repercussions./QUOTE]

Agreed. She was no threat, just had issues. Give her the help she needs. Everyone has issues, some more than others... help her, don't condemn her...

[ipsatex]

Seems to me that she was suffering from bipolar disorder or schizophrenia with accompanying paranoia. Hardly the sort of thing that should be dealt with by charging her with federal offenses. I cannot say the same for management who let her on the flight if they were previously warned by crew members about her condition. While it is doubtful that she posed a danger to others, in the event of an emergency, her ability to carry out essential duties obviously would have been severely impaired. Another case of an airline putting costs ahead of safety?

[FlyMD]

Well in MY time, when the captain (yes, only the captain...) decided that a crew-member needed to be offloaded for ANY reason, he/she got offloaded first, questions were asked later...

New generation of pansies, no wonder T&C are in freefall, if nobody is paid to make decisions any more... Bah, humbug!

[cactusbusdrvr]

The original story said she was disruptive on the outbound leg. She was allegedly erratic at check in. Other crew members tried to have her removed. The F/A supervisor refused, she was allowed to remain on the flight. Weak Captain, weak crew members for putting up with this. The company should be hit with a big fine for this.

Charlotte is a very strange base. There are very senior people who should have retired years ago, they are barely able to function in the job. F/A training, especially recurrent, is a joke. Minimal testing, everyone passes. Pilot training at that center is slightly better, but the whole culture is to train to the absolute minimum standards. The hull losses US Airways suffered before and after the AWA merger are testament to that.

Thankfully there is a new sheriff in town from Texas and I would expect to see more changes made in the former east bases and the CLT training center. Pilot managers have already been replaced in PHL and CLT is on the way.

[CAPTDOUG]

In the USA if the Captain says your off.. then your off.. He might have to argue with management but if he/she sticks to ur decision. your off..Airplanes have a minimum FA crew to remain legal.. I retired off the 777 and we normally carried 12 FA's on international flights. Min FA crew is 9. if necessary the Captain can remove 3 and depart legally. It has happened to me 2 times in my career. Once I threatened 3 with removal if they didn't settle down (they did and were happy they did) and once I removed the Purser for good as we were downline. We went home the next day minus Purser which created more work for the rest of the crew but was a necessary decision based on the Pursers actions. The Purser was allowed to Dead Head home and was met by her supervisor.. I never heard a thing after.

[racedo]

I hope she gets the help that she needs. It's sad that in this industry and in society in general, mental health is often not cared for properly, with taboos and fear of repercussions./QUOTE]

Agreed. She was no threat, just had issues. Give her the help she needs. Everyone has issues, some more than others... help her, don't condemn her...
I agree

Serves no point in chucking her into the Justice system where she will get a record, no job and no help.

Let company provide support to her and ground her until she is properly assessed as fit to fly again...............if ever.

Not sure whether she is a member of a Union but even if not they should offer some assistance as to what company could offer. This would ensure existing members knew what they would do for them.

[Hotel Tango]

Many of you are taking the mental illness path. Not necessarily. If this behaviour was out of character it could be something else. I remember a colleague who began to behave strangely and out of character. Turned out he had a brain tumour!

[G-CPTN]

Turned out he had a brain tumour!
I would class that as a mental illness . . .

[Airbubba]

Seems to me that she was suffering from bipolar disorder or schizophrenia with accompanying paranoia. Hardly the sort of thing that should be dealt with by charging her with federal offenses.

Many of you are taking the mental illness path. Not necessarily. If this behaviour was out of character it could be something else. I remember a colleague who began to behave strangely and out of character. Turned out he had a brain tumour!

Another possibility that many of us have seen is a substance abuse issue. In recent years prescription medications have taken a toll on colleagues and acquaintances.

In the modern politically correct union workplace it can be a tough call to define unusual behavior. If you say someone is acting oddly you are being 'judgmental' and you may be scheduled for 'sensitivity training'. The captain is now the 'team facilitator' in addition to being the 'inflight security coordinator'.

In the very few cases I'm anecdotally aware of, the legal charges were used as leverage to persuade the individual to seek company provided professional help to deal with the underlying causes of the aberrant behavior.

Whatever the cause of the bizarre behavior, I feel we must err on the side of caution when a coworker becomes combative, delusional or paranoid on an aircraft.

Did the cabin crew or sky marshals ever tell the captain about the situation with the flight attendant? Or, perhaps with good intentions, did they keep the problem compartmentalized, hoping she would eventually calm down and go back to work?

[G-CPTN]

History would seem to be a useful consideration here.

Was the previous behaviour unremarkable?

Had a stress incident occurred (loss of a friend or relative)?

Was the person suffering withdrawal from medication?

[Radgirl]

Differentiating between mental illness, physical illness (no, a cerebral tumor is a physical illness not mental illness) or drug use can tax us doctors with MRI scans in a hospital. You cant expect a crew to do it, but it shouldnt matter as the captain should remove the individual regardless of any other desk jockies.

If the individual refuses, the use of police is often the only option both on an aircraft and even in a hospital.

The problem is that throughout the western world there is a need to then assess the prisoner and where mental or physical illness is the cause move them into the health system. Sadly prisons in both our countries are wrongly occupied by people with mental illness due to a failure of the criminal justice system, under funding of mental illness and ignorance bordering on vindictiveness from politicians, the media and the public.

[Slow and curious]

Leave it to the professionals to get to the roots of her behaviour. She didn't harass any pax afaik. Keep all options open!

[Blind Squirrel]

The criminal complaint by the air marshal is revealing, and disturbing.

1. Cabin-crew members at CLT requested AA management to take this unfortunate woman off the roster before departure. I'm guessing that this does not happen very often. Yet their (well-justified) apprehensions were dismissed, apparently without investigation. Whatever happened to "If there's any doubt, there's no doubt?"

2. On the leg to FRA, she physically assaulted colleagues at least twice, and a federal air marshal again at least twice. Two of the four assaults (the slapping of the CC member, and the forceful shoving of the air marshal) were violent by any possible definition. How is it that this was not reported to AA management, local law-enforcement and the TSA immediately after landing at FRA? Or if it was, why was no action taken on those reports? In particular, why did three federal air marshals allow a person they had certain knowledge to be violent and unstable to reboard the aircraft the following day? Is that not precisely what they are there to prevent? If they do not have the power to do so on their own authority, what are they for?

3. 14 CFR 91.3 (a). The same questions apply to the captain. It beggars belief that he was not informed of what transpired on the CLT-FRA leg. On what basis did he conclude that it did not compromise flight safety to let any person who had behaved in such a way onto the aircraft for the return leg, far less to act in the capacity of a crew member?

AA management has, without doubt, some pretty serious questions to answer. But so, it seems to me, do the other parties involved.

[wpbfjr]

i agree with blind squirrel's comments.

ultimately, i see two outcomes:


air marshal fialka looses his job for dereliction of duty if the below quote is correct:

"In his affidavit, Fialka said Snow confessed to him several times before takeoff that she was “crazy” or a “train wreck.”
yes, i know such comments can be dismissed as "blowing off steam", however certain words and phrases are already federal crimes when uttered in secure/sterile areas.


new training for air marshals.

[G-CPTN]

What relationship was there between the CC member and the Captain of the aircraft?

Snow’s initial appearance in federal court was cancelled.

[Hotel Tango]

[QUOTE]I would class that as a mental illness . . .[/QUOTE

Negative G-CPTN.

[ExDubai]

I don't get it. If the Captain says she's out, then she is out. What happened there ?

[G-CPTN]

Where does it state that the Captain said she was out?

[ExDubai]

Where does it state that the Captain said she was out?
Nowhere, but you can't tell me that the Captain didn't know what happened in the cabin and that the crew tried to remove her from the outbound flight. So I don't get it that she was on the outbound flight.

[G-CPTN]

What relationship was there between the CC member and the Captain of the aircraft?

. . . . . . .

[ExDubai]

Originally Posted by G-CPTN
What relationship was there between the CC member and the Captain of the aircraft?

yepp, that's the big question....

[parabellum]

I hope she gets the help that she needs. It's sad that in this industry and in society in general, mental health is often not cared for properly, with taboos and fear of repercussions.

The behaviour she exhibited would also be commensurate with the use of certain mind bending drugs.

There has to be more to this than we currently know. Crew observe strange behaviour, don't think she should fly, crew tell purser who tells captain she should not operate, captain offloads her. Maybe insufficient evidence before airborne CLT but subsequent behaviour should have had her stood down in FRA and pax home. Dozens of unanswered questions at the moment.

[CAPTDOUG]

Regardless..

Its the Captains responsibility, its his job to make sure the flight operates safely.. And when u have a person, crew or not, acting this why they must be removed.. people acting crazy for any reason needs to be removed.. ITS FAR's. and to further the irresponsibility they allowed her to board the next day as a crew member.. Why is it people can't follow the rules. People die when people don't follow the rules..
The girl needs help and I hope she gets it. But not on my flight. Take her to where she needs to be.. In a hospital. Not a working crew member. They have good hospitals in FRA.

[Airbubba]

Looks like she is indeed getting help with her illness.

I sense from the air marshal's affidavit that the hope was she would be taken care of by her crew on return to CLT. Unfortunately, running past the immigration officer screaming was something that could not be overlooked in a public venue with a holiday terror alert in effect. Once he took her into custody he had to document her behavior in the legal realm to show that his actions were justified.

Those of us who sign for the plane wonder where the pilot in command was in this decision process.

Flight attendant accused of attacks appears in court

Published Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015 | 5:52 p.m.

Updated 2 hours, 1 minute ago

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — An American Airlines flight attendant accused of attacking fellow crew members and two U.S. air marshals during a trans-Atlantic flight made her first court appearance Tuesday, where attorneys argued over whether she should be held in custody or released to her family.

Joanne Snow wore a black shirt, black slacks and shackles as she entered a federal courtroom in uptown Charlotte. She was flanked on her right by federal defender Elizabeth Blackwood.

Snow appeared agitated, often speaking above a whisper to Blackwood to try to understand questions from U.S. Magistrate Judge David S. Cayer in the small courtroom. She occasionally spoke over Cayer as he explained the charges against her.

Asked if she had retained an attorney, Snow responded, "Do you really want to know?"

Snow said she had hired an attorney whom she identified as a lead prosecutor in New Hampshire, also telling the judge he was a Republican.

U.S. Assistant Attorney Michael Savage argued that Snow exhibited a danger to the community, adding that in addition to her alleged attacks on the plane, she disarmed a door as the aircraft was taxiing.

"Given her current state, she's a danger to herself and to others," Savage said.

Blackwood asked that Snow be released to see her two sons in New Hampshire.

"I want to go home to see my sons more than you know," Snow told the judge.

No one responded to a message left Tuesday at one of two telephone numbers listed for Snow. No one answered a second number, and it was not possible to leave a voice message.

It was also revealed in court that Snow was involuntarily committed to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte before she was voluntarily committed to nearby Cabarrus Medical Center. Savage said she is currently being held in the Mecklenburg County jail, but no record of her could be found online Tuesday.


Pictures and more in this DM story:

Flight attendant Joanne Snow who fought with American Airlines crew appears in court | Daily Mail Online (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3342033/Flight-attendant-fought-crew-air-marshals-tried-open-door-appears-court.html)

[Capot]

Even harder to believe she was allowed to operate the return sector.A possible response, even a likely one, is that minimum crew numbers and the Captain's desire to get home, sorry, avoid inconveniencing other passengers by delay/cancellation, were factors in his decision. Perhaps he discussed in with the company's Operations Centre (or whatever), and their main concern to avoid extra costs of delay, sorry, avoid inconveniencing passengers, drove the decision. Who knows?

I bet there's nothing in the Rule Book to say that you can't count all on-duty cabin staff towards the minimum if they are all present and correct, well, present at least, even if you suspect that one may need at some point in the flight to don a strait-jacket.

Afterthought: By the way, how come the same crew was rostered for the return sector? Quite a long duty, I would have thought. Or is there a minimum rest layover, and if so, couldn't the problem have been resolved during it?

[wanabee777]

Were they already operating at minimum cabin staffing whereby they couldn't legally depart without the ill flight attendant??

[PierreM]

Hypothetical question: acepting that there are big questions on how she came to be on the outbound flight in the first place, what would have been the reaction by crew and marshalls if this behaviour had been exhibited by a passenger?

Quite different, I suggest. Food for thought . . . . .