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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.” |
I live in CT. Local news stations are reporting heavy police presence at the apartment where the student pilot lived.
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Three years to get a Private Rating?
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Which didn't in any case certify him on the Seneca twin he was flying (hence presumably the instructor on board).
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Three years to get a Private Rating? Checks and balances anyone? |
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. |
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 |
I'm sure no-one here is silly enough to jump to conclusions about the reasons for his actions.:E
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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.
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Originally Posted by lomapaseo
(Post 9538590)
The NTSB should be the ones deciding if the wreckage supports a deliberate act as well.
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Or the flight instructor screwed up and is lying about one who can not defend himself. How many crashes has this instructor had?
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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. |
The Sultan sounds like a complete fool. How many crashes has an instructor had? For heaven's sake...
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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
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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.
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Originally Posted by The Sultan
(Post 9538718)
Or the flight instructor screwed up.
How many crashes has this instructor had? |
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.
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Egypt asked the NTSB to investigate the Egyptair crash. |
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. |
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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Unless, of course, he had something against the instructor?
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Yes, that sounds like an interesting comment. Has this sort of thing been known to happen in driving schools?
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The " deliberate" part must have come from the instructor. No CVR or FDR on a Seneca, to check what inputs were made and by who. No other pax.
Terrorism : on final APP ? Suicide : with an instructor ? slow speed, on finals ? Something does not really add up here. |
Alternative scenario:
- Student pilot, not doing well in flight school, gets reprimanded by the instructor - The student, mad at the instructor, starts flying aggressively, "showboating" his "skills" - The instructor, having enough of the situation, decides to take control and says "My Plane" - Student refuses to cede control, struggle ensues, plane crashes No terrorism, no suicide intent... just heated argument between student and instructor. |
Plausible ?
Another case of ' workplace violence ' ??
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Peekay4 ; Alternative Scenario : yes I could buy that one . Good point .
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Two differing views of the student's demeanor in the days before the crash from media reports:
Student Pilot Acted Out Of Character For Days Before Crash, Investigators Told David Owens and Christine Dempsey and Edmund H. Mahony On Oct 14, 2016 Source: McClatchy Oct. 14--The student pilot who authorities believe intentionally crashed a twin-engine airplane on Main Street Tuesday was acting increasingly erratic in the days before the crash, law enforcement sources said. Feras M. Freitekh seemed out of sorts and, over the two or three days before the crash, was "confrontational" and "cranky," investigators said Freitekh's acquaintances told them. The behavior, while out of character, was not so alarming to prompt his acquaintances to notify anyone, investigators said. Law enforcement officials said Wednesday that Freitekh, 28, was flying the Piper PA-34 Seneca erratically and fought with the flight instructor, Arian Prevalla, 43, just before the crash. Prevalla was badly burned in the crash and was listed in fair condition Thursday at the Bridgeport Hospital burn center. While authorities said Wednesday that Freitekh was distraught over his performance at the American Flight Academy at Hartford's Brainard Airport, the new information reveals more about the Jordanian national's state of mind in the days before the crash. And the findings further support the theory held by investigators that the crash near the Pratt & Whitney headquarters was intentional. "This is looking like a suicide," an official said. The investigation is ongoing and authorities have said they have not reached a definitive conclusion on why the plane crashed. Friends: Student in crash was upbeat, happy to be flying By DAVE COLLINS, Last Updated: Friday, October 14, 2016 HARTFORD, Conn. -- (AP) A few hours before he died in a Connecticut plane crash, Feras Freitekh left a message for a close friend in his native Jordan in which he joked around, asked for help with a game app and said he would talk with him after a final flight test this week. The friend, Amjad Majdy, said Freitekh was happy to be fulfilling his passion for aviation. He and others who were close to the student pilot say they are puzzled by U.S. officials' assertions that Tuesday's plane crash was intentional, including one official who said it appears to have been a suicide attempt by Freitekh. "He was laughing and he was normal. Nothing wrong with him," Majdy, who lives in Amman, said via Facebook messaging. "He loved being a pilot. That was his dream." Freitekh was born in Kuwait and moved to Amman with his family when he was a boy, friends say, and he came to Hartford to attend the American Flight Academy in 2013. Besides flying, they say he loved playing video games including Dota 2 and World of Warcraft both online, multiplayer games involving roleplaying and battling enemies. He also had a girlfriend. Several friends said he was not known to have problems with depression or anger. They said Freitekh was supposed to take his last flying exam Friday, and he planned to return to Jordan and look for an airline job. A friend who lives in Jordan, Ma'en Al-wishah, said he talked with Freitekh a few days before the crash and Freitekh didn't say anything about having problems with his training. "Planes were everything to him," Al-wishah said. "All he wanted is to get that license. He was always in a good mood. He was a funny guy. I can assure you ... Feras would never hurt anyone." |
In the United States post 9/11 yes, if you drive an airplane into a building you are, in point of fact, going to be assumed guilty until proven innocent or the autopsy shows the heart attack.
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They didn't hit a buildings, they landed short
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They didn't hit a buildings, they landed short |
Originally Posted by peekay4
(Post 9540917)
Alternative scenario:
- Student pilot, not doing well in flight school, gets reprimanded by the instructor - The student, mad at the instructor, starts flying aggressively, "showboating" his "skills" - The instructor, having enough of the situation, decides to take control and says "My Plane" - Student refuses to cede control, struggle ensues, plane crashes No terrorism, no suicide intent... just heated argument between student and instructor. |
And the other alternative would be, instructor badly screwed up, needed a scapegoat and is now busy trying to save his neck! but hey, it must have been the student, because he is from the mid east, right? Both pilots were arguing about the approach and each fought to take control. Only one survives as the source of an explanation. I just don't see the importance of this part. |
The second media report (ref Airbubba post #27) cheerfully tells us that he was born in two different countries.
'...his native Jordan [...] Freitekh was born in Kuwait...' |
I agree, the term 'native' is loosely used but the first article correctly identifies Freitekh as a Jordanian national.
Like most countries in Europe and Asia (including Ireland since the famous 2004 vote ;)), Kuwait does not confer jus soli citizenship on everyone born there. From a New York Times article: The student, Fera [sic, I think it is actually Feras - Airbubba] M. Freitekh, 28, was a Jordanian national of Palestinian descent who came to the United States several years ago to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a pilot, according to his cousin Abdul-Rahman Freitekh. |
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