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AA Flight 2332 Cabin Attendant Incident
Considering the US stance on security this scenario is unbelievable.
How could an airline allow a flight attendant with bipolar allow to fly? Flight attendant said to be bipolar and hadn't taken medication An American Airlines jet was delayed as it taxied for take-off this morning after a veteran flight attendant began ranting about the September 11 attacks and saying the plane was about to crash. Flight 2332 was halted after the woman commandeered the plane’s public address system and told passengers there were technical difficulties. First class travelers helped the cabin crew subdue the attendant, after she started screaming random things like she was ‘not responsible for crashing this plane' and that they couldn't take off because there wasn't enough ice on board, according to witnesses. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/...-5_306x406.jpg 2 injured while restraining flight attendant who ranted 'I am not responsible for crashing this plane' From Fox News URGENT: Authorities are investigating an incident on board an American Airlines flight from Dallas to Chicago in which two flight attendants were injured, Fox News has learned. Authorities said American Airlines flight 2332 had to be diverted back to the gate moments before take-off over reports a flight attendant ranted to passengers over the public address system, saying the plane was going to crash. The crew member also complained about the airline's bankruptcy reorganization, according to reports. Two people on board the flight told the Dallas Observer that the flight attendant had to be restrained by other crew members and passengers. "We are not taking off," the female flight attendant said as the plane was taxiing on the runway, according to the passengers. "We're having technical difficulties. We are heading back to the gate." Although another crew member told passengers to disregard her warning, the flight attendant kept ranting about technical problems. According to The Dallas Morning News, she also referred to the airline's bankruptcy reorganization during her outburst. "Captain," she said. "I am not responsible for crashing this plane." The flight was scheduled to depart Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport for Chicago O'Hare International Airport. The airline released a statement, saying two flight attendants were taken to local hospitals for treatment following the incident. "We continue to investigate the details and circumstances and will have no further comment at this time," the statement said. "We will ensure that the affected flight attendants receive proper care, and we commend our other crew members for their assistance in quickly getting the aircraft back to the gate so that customers could be re-accommodated. Our customers were not in danger at any time." The airline said the flight left for Chicago at 9:46 a.m., and is expected to land around noon. Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Tony Molinaro confirmed that there was an "altercation" and that the airport police and Transportation Security Administration were alerted. According to the Morning News, FBI spokeswoman Lydia Maese said that American Airlines is handling the investigation. "We did respond, we assessed the situation and we determined there was no need for a federal investigation," the spokeswoman said. |
Glad the upset was not on the other side of the locked door to the cockpit.
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Good point.This crazy woman would have had access to the flight deck en route. Looks like one of the flight deck crew was involved in controlling the situation.
http://www.dallasnews.com/incoming/2...ight_Cops1.jpg UPDATE, 2:53 p.m. The Associated Press has moved an updated story that includes other passengers' comments. ==== Passenger Whitney Bessler, who has landed safely in Chicago, gave us this account of the disruption caused by the American Airlines flight attendant who ranted aboard the plane this morning. The flight attendant, whose name has not been released, claimed that she had bipolar disorder and hadn't taken her medicine, according to Bessler. Soon after the doors closed on Flight 2332 -- from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport to Chicago O'Hare -- the flight attendant repeatedly asked "Are we in Houston?" "I thought she was joking," said Bessler, 34, who was seated in the second row in first class. "Then she got on the PA phone and it sounded like she was trying to talk to the captain." Bessler, who is from Dallas, said she saw several flight attendants rush to the front of the plane. "She said she just wanted to save people and that she wouldn't be responsible if the plane crashed," Bessler said. The flight attendant apparently tried to ward off her co-attendants by letting them know she was the lead flight attendant aboard the plane. A pilot who was traveling as a passenger and seated in the cabin tried to subdue the attendant, who seemed to be talking in a word salad about how she lost a friend on Sept. 11, how she's been doing the same job for 23 years, and how the plane needed to stop because it was in need of ice. "She was getting crazy and wouldn't sit down," Bessler said. "Four guys put her in the seat right in front of me, and they were trying to hold her down." Bessler moved seats so the men, including the pilot riding in the cabin, could hold the attendant down. The plane made its way back to the gate. By then, six men were subduing the woman, according to Bessler. Passengers could hear the woman yelling as she was led off the plane. She was placed in the back of a police car, as passengers watched through their windows. A new flight crew boarded the plane, which left 81 minutes late (9:46 a.m. instead of 8:25). American Airlines confirmed that two flight attendants were injured. Beyond issuing the written statement that we published earlier, the airline has declined to comment. "People were upset about being delayed an hour," Bessler said. "But I didn't mind. I thought it would be a crazy story to tell later on." |
I wouldn't be surprised if she is terminated, files a grievance and is brought back on a LCA (last chance agreement). Thats the US airline industry for you.
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'terminated' - seems a little extreme?
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How could an airline allow a flight attendant with bipolar allow to fly? |
She was taking medication.
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I am bipolar - suppose that's my aviation career over then!
On a serious note, this is not bipolar disorder... This is plain, pure and simple insanity :ugh: |
Unless things have changed bipolar disqualifies you from holding an FAA ATPL.
I'm not sure about flight attendants. |
I wouldn't know about FAA standards - I hold a JAA Class 1 medical certificate though. Then again, us pommies have always been in touch with our crazy side ;)
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I feel sorry for her and am actually quite suprised that this sort of thing doesn't happen more often. I mean crew are working in an extremely stressful industry now. We had 9/11 and since then our daily work lives have been a bloody nightmare, constant threat of terrorism, over the top security procedures and regimes, companies that are always 'cutting' back due to the oil prices and telling us all that we get paid too much, not to mention the constant threat of the whole company just getting wrapped up when it goes bust. Mix all this with a bit of fatigue, grumpy passengers and any other personal problems that may be in your own life on a day to day basis and there is bound to be someone every now and then that loses it.
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bipolar disqualifies you from holding an FAA ATPL. I'm not sure about flight attendants. Not sure what this means vis a vis your statement other than that F/As are certainly held to very different standards. |
Very true, Artificial Horizon.
Yes, it's strange there's not more focus on the medical well-being of flight attendants. This has demonstrated a weak link in the chain: Airborne, and rampaging in the confines of the flight-deck - think of the door having been closed behind her - and remember the need for, hopefully minor, first aid of two other crew. It could be very serious. I have had experience with two friends and one acquaintance who were bi-polar. The young lady acquaintance could, and did, do a lot of damage to furniture etc., while lost to the world in a frenzy. All three are dead, as a direct or indirect result of their malaise. When one friend changed, it was within a few seconds. I'd always hoped to catch him in that mode, certain I could talk him back. I have never, ever, been so wrong. |
Not to be underestimated...
Bipolar disorder is a very serious, misunderstood and as indicated in previous posts, often life-threatening disease of the mind. It is frequently characterized by self-denial (see above post H_B for example) paired with an aggressive refusal to accept medication. Bipolar sufferers should not be permitted to hold crew licenses of any type after being so diagnosed. Why? Because their actions when manic are unpredictable, self-destructive and irrational. When medicated they become desultory and lethargic. Both patterns which should prohibit sufferers from getting close to any cockpit.
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I feel sorry for her and am actually quite suprised that this sort of thing doesn't happen more often. I mean crew are working in an extremely stressful industry now. We had 9/11 and since then our daily work lives have been a bloody nightmare, constant threat of terrorism, over the top security procedures and regimes, companies that are always 'cutting' back due to the oil prices and telling us all that we get paid too much, not to mention the constant threat of the whole company just getting wrapped up when it goes bust. Mix all this with a bit of fatigue, grumpy passengers and any other personal problems that may be in your own life on a day to day basis and there is bound to be someone every now and then that loses it. |
If you think that there are no pilots with psychological issues, then you are delusional. Anyone can pass a psychological examination, especially for a job and passion for flying. Period. Same goes for cops, military, doctors, teachers, etc....
Just google pilot arrested and you will have a lot of reading to do in your future. remember Egypt Air, anyone? ADHD, OCD, depression, and STRESS are all types of mental illness. As for myself, I am ADHD, for me, there is no better job for my mental health than to be cabin crew. It benifits me and the pax for that matter. If everyone in high pressure jobs were fired, there would be no one left. One in four people have some type of mental illness, so look at three of your friends, and if they seem fine, it YOU. |
You only have to look at the havoc wreaked in Afghanistan by a soldier who 'lost it' to know that in all walks of life there will be folk who occasionally lose the plot. Luckily cabin crew are not generally armed with anything more dangerous than a bar trolley. Now where did I put that fireaxe?:eek:
Actually I do think that CC should be subject to an annual medical instead of self-certifying our fitness to work. I have met a few over the years who really shouldn't have been allowed out on their own. |
Slingblade,
You walk in on your wife getting bonked by another man. Would you describe your resultant behaviour as bi-polar also? To put it another way, bi-polar 'diagnosees' so to speak are very aware of an issue and some (myself included) can recognise and combat the symptoms mentally without the use of medication if the need necessitates, for example, in a cockpit. Somebody referenced Egypt Air - the pilot concerned was not diagnosed with a condition that prohibited him from holding a flight crew licence, yet he succeeded in crashing a plane and killing many, many people. The difference is, the pilot who was allowed to fly was not equipped to handle his mind. FedEx 705, remember that one also? What about a person who 'flipped' in his teens and beat somebody to within an inch of their life, but many decades and a spent conviction later, is not only allowed to hold a Class 1 medical certificate, but also an airside pass? Would you not describe their behaviour at the time as unpredictable and irrational? Which brings me to the point - what direction exactly are you taking with your comment? That you are defending the letter of the law? Does common sense not also apply? When was the last time an incident, fatal or non fatal, was reported where one of the causes detailed was the pilot's subsequent diagnoses of suffering from bi-polar disorder? You hit the nail on the head, however. Clearly misunderstood :cool: |
Discrimination on the basis of many issues is thankfully now illegal in most developed nations. Looney bins no longer exist. All crew are capable of 'flipping out' faced with enough stress. And goodness knows I have felt on the edge with what I face with jet lag, company cost cutting etc. support and not judgement is what is required here.
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Ye Olde Pilot,
what is your real agenda?You seem to have an issue with those people who work as c/c f/a and flatter the ego's of those who work in the cockpit.In a thread you started in terms and endearments a while back ,you slammed the Air France c/c who dealt with the Azores emmergency landing,your oppinion having been formed from an article which in no way laid any blame on their actions ,if you had bothered to take your time to read it. This time you are stating that one of the flight crew jumped in to help restrain the f/a .So ,once again I ask you to read the article again,and you may realise that it was an off duty pilot who was sitting nearby, who got involved not one of the opperating crew. ???????????("Good point.This crazy woman would have had access to the flight deck en route. Looks like one of the flight deck crew was involved in controlling the situation.") |
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