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-   -   Jordanian ‘Student’ Intentionally Slams Plane Into Downtown Conn. City (https://www.pprune.org/north-america/585620-jordanian-student-intentionally-slams-plane-into-downtown-conn-city.html)

Wokkafans 12th Oct 2016 16:04

Jordanian ‘Student’ Intentionally Slams Plane Into Downtown Conn. City
 
No idea on the factual basis of this claim but worrying if true.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/12/us...onal.html?_r=0

Jordanian Pilot: Fatal Conn. Plane Crash 'Not An Accident' | The Daily Caller

"The survivor of a Tuesday plane crash in Connecticut, piloted by a Jordanian national, told FBI investigators it was “not an accident,” according to The New York Times.

The pilot, Feras M. Freitekh, came to the U.S. on a temporary student visa in 2012 for flight school. The legality of his immigration status is unclear. Federal Aviation Administration records indicate Freitekh was issued a private pilots license in May 2015, and verified his certification to fly a single-engine aircraft.

Freitekh’s potential motivations are unclear at this time. Local media report he was killed in the crash.

The plane reportedly took off from a small flight school in Hartford, and went down on East Hartford’s Main Street Tuesday afternoon. Freitekh’s passenger, a flight instructor, survived in the crash, and the East Hartford Fire Department noted he was taken to the hospital with “significant injuries.”

The survivor of a Tuesday plane crash in Connecticut, piloted by a Jordanian national, told FBI investigators it was “not an accident,” according to The New York Times.

The FBI is concerned because the plane went down next to a Pratt & Whitney (P&W) factory, which is classified as “critical infrastructure” by the U.S. government. The P&W factory is a global aviation manufacturer, including aviation parts for the U.S. military.

A P&W spokesman confirmed in a statement, “it does not appear at this time that any Pratt & Whitney employees or contractors were involved. Additionally, there is no impact to our operation here in East Hartford other than restricted traffic flow to the facility’s main entrance on Main Street. We stand ready to assist local officials as needed.”

jugofpropwash 12th Oct 2016 16:11

I live in CT. Local news stations are reporting heavy police presence at the apartment where the student pilot lived.

Farrell 12th Oct 2016 16:18

Three years to get a Private Rating?

DaveReidUK 12th Oct 2016 16:39

Which didn't in any case certify him on the Seneca twin he was flying (hence presumably the instructor on board).

TURIN 12th Oct 2016 17:01


Three years to get a Private Rating?
And yet "The legality of his immigration status is unclear." :rolleyes:

Checks and balances anyone?

aterpster 12th Oct 2016 17:48

Just released by the NTSB:

WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board’s initial investigation of Tuesday’s aircraft crash in East Hartford, Connecticut, indicates the crash is the result of an intentional act.

In light of that information and in accordance with established procedures the NTSB is in the process of transferring the lead for the investigation from NTSB to the FBI.

The NTSB stands ready to support the FBI’s investigation should a request be made for agency expertise.

lomapaseo 12th Oct 2016 17:58

I think that the NTSB investigation should continue and parallel the FBI investigation.

The NTSB should be the ones deciding if the wreckage supports a deliberate act as well.

eye witness reports ( typically not reliable by itself) that they hear the engine sound go quiet and looked up to see the wings wobble and then the plane fell of into a dive. It was on approach over P&W to an airport across the river.

If it was intentional it was way too late after having passed over P&W

Nemrytter 12th Oct 2016 18:20

I'm sure no-one here is silly enough to jump to conclusions about the reasons for his actions.:E

silverstrata 12th Oct 2016 19:24

Not that easy, is it? I criticised a f/o from the same location late last year, and his hands started shaking so much he could not fly that leg. Should I have been worried? Things are not so simple as they were, two or three decades ago, the world is suddenly much more complex.

DaveReidUK 12th Oct 2016 19:58


Originally Posted by lomapaseo (Post 9538590)
The NTSB should be the ones deciding if the wreckage supports a deliberate act as well.

The NTSB's role is not to determine whether evidence supports any preconceived theories.

The Sultan 12th Oct 2016 20:10

Or the flight instructor screwed up and is lying about one who can not defend himself. How many crashes has this instructor had?

Airbubba 12th Oct 2016 20:21

CNN cites a possible domestic violence narrative emerging:


The flight instructor, who survived the crash, told first responders and investigators he got into an altercation with the student pilot, which resulted in a struggle in the cockpit, a US official with direct knowledge of the investigation said.

The official said it appeared that the student pilot, whose name was not released, was frustrated with his family and had said he was being forced to become a pilot.
Plane crash in East Hartford, Connecticut, was intentional, authorities suspect - CNN.com

RoyHudd 13th Oct 2016 01:11

The Sultan sounds like a complete fool. How many crashes has an instructor had? For heaven's sake...

lomapaseo 13th Oct 2016 01:21

It seems to me that both pilots need to be scrutinized as only one side of the argument is being heard ... but that takes it out of the aviation field of interest and into the conspiracy rags

westhawk 13th Oct 2016 07:13

If it's not an accident, then it was a criminal act. Who decides? The FBI does. The NTSB is on the sidelines until notified that they are not.

silverstrata 13th Oct 2016 08:03


Originally Posted by The Sultan (Post 9538718)
Or the flight instructor screwed up.
How many crashes has this instructor had?

This view is so typical of 'Sultan' regions, where no pilot has ever made a mistake, honest. So every failure or fault ALWAYS has to be the fault of the western aircraft, or the western radar, or something. But the pilot is never wrong. Remember the Egyptair crash, where the Egyptian invesigators said it could not be suicide, because no-one in that culture had ever committed suicide, because it was forbidden. (Totally disregarding the fact that there have been several thousand suicide bombers).

aterpster 13th Oct 2016 09:54

Egypt asked the NTSB to investigate the Egyptair crash. The evidence the NTSB found was as conclusive as a probable cause gets. So, the Egyptian government wrote their own conclusions out of thin air, all this after asking the NTSB to conduct the investigation.

westhawk 13th Oct 2016 10:41


Egypt asked the NTSB to investigate the Egyptair crash.
I believe the Egyptians petitioned to have the report updated to reflect that the relief FO did NOT crash the airplane into the ocean. Right now it says he did, but for undetermined reasons...

Airbubba 14th Oct 2016 03:23

The deceased student is warmly eulogized in this newspaper article:


Student Pilot Had Passion For Flying

David Owens Contact Reporter

Since earning his pilot's license more than a year ago, Feras M. Freitekh was focused on continued training at the American Flight Academy at Brainard Airport and on his passion of flying.

His Facebook page is filled with photos that illustrate his love of flying, including his profile picture that shows him kissing the nose of an airplane.

Freitekh's neighbors said all of the flight students were kind and polite, but Freitekh stood out.

"He was always smiling, asking people how they were," said Giselle Velazquez, a former neighbor. "The person we saw was always happy and jolly and saying hi, and always stopped to say hello."

Freitekh, 28, also posted pictures he took while flying, the instrument panel of an airplane and quotes about flying, including: "Born to be a pilot," and "Your wings already exist, all you have you to do is fly."

A man from Amman, Jordan, who identified himself as Freitekh's cousin, said Freitekh dreamed of becoming a pilot and came to the United States to attend flight school to fulfill that dream. He was among many international students at American Flight Academy.

"He was a good person, kind and helpful," said the cousin, who asked not to be identified out of fear he would upset Freitekh's family by speaking to the press. "He wasn't religious at all. He was open-minded."

As news of Freitekh's death spread to his friends, they expressed their condolences via Facebook.

"Can't believe it man. Rest in peace. You will definitely be missed," one friend posted on the photo showing Freitekh kissing the nose of an airplane.

"God have mercy on you the best pilot. Final resting place heaven if god willing," another wrote in Arabic.

"May your soul rest in peace my friend, good people die early, enjoy your time in heaven bro," wrote another friend from Jordan, Ahmed Al Gburi.
Student Pilot Had Passion For Flying - Hartford Courant

foxmoth 14th Oct 2016 07:39

I rather think if he was doing this as a terrorist act he would have waited until he was solo rather than when he was flying with an instructor who could interfere!


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