Captain 'subdued' aboard JetBlue flight
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Its good to hear that the court considered the evidence and have found him innocent of criminal charges. That is what courts are for.
I hope that Capt Osbon can now find some peace as whilst he was mentally ill at the time of the incident, it does not mean that he does not recall it.
I hope that Capt Osbon can now find some peace as whilst he was mentally ill at the time of the incident, it does not mean that he does not recall it.
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Nor does it mean he can't make some contribution in the future - hard to see him coming back as a line pilot but having been through a dreadful illness he may be able to help others before they reach their limit and break down
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No doubt now the passengers will all have a claim against JetBlue for employing an insane pilot
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A great tragedy for Captain Osbon, and I can only commend JetBlue for being so supportive in a very tricky situation to handle well. It would seem unlikely to me that his future lies in flying commercial aircraft, but I can only find it in my heart to wish him and his family well.
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A requote from earlier in the thread:
Talking with a friend who knows Captain Osbon, it appears he was indeed taking the supplement and hawking it to his coworkers at JetBlue. As is often the case with other episodes of abnormal pilot behavior, colleagues noted changes in his mood and affect prior to the inflight outburst. The company was notified but apparently did not take action at the time. JetBlue pilots are nonunion, not sure if they have anything like ALPA's Professional Standards committee to help mitigate personal issues before they reach the disciplinary level.
Of course, these observations are all with the benefit of hindsight, as with any case of someone who is acting odd, but not yet dangerously, it is a tough call of whether or when to intervene as a coworker, family member or employer. An example discussed earlier here is Auburn Calloway, the FedEx 705 hijacker. Looking back, there were multiple signs that Auburn had lied and acted unusually before the hijacking but little was done to remove him from the flight deck.
Auburn Calloway was unsuccessful with his plea of temporary insanity. Some years later he claimed that he had an undiagnosed sleep disorder and that (among the customary other reasons) was why the FDX 705 hijacking trial was unfair:
USATODAY.com - Inside the minds of workplace killers
regarding seling the diet milkshakes...
did it occur to any of you that he was using the product himself and somehow got a very low blood sugar causing this odd behavior? an aviation medical examiner from Chicago suggested that low blood sugar could cause this sort of behavior
did it occur to any of you that he was using the product himself and somehow got a very low blood sugar causing this odd behavior? an aviation medical examiner from Chicago suggested that low blood sugar could cause this sort of behavior
Of course, these observations are all with the benefit of hindsight, as with any case of someone who is acting odd, but not yet dangerously, it is a tough call of whether or when to intervene as a coworker, family member or employer. An example discussed earlier here is Auburn Calloway, the FedEx 705 hijacker. Looking back, there were multiple signs that Auburn had lied and acted unusually before the hijacking but little was done to remove him from the flight deck.
Auburn Calloway was unsuccessful with his plea of temporary insanity. Some years later he claimed that he had an undiagnosed sleep disorder and that (among the customary other reasons) was why the FDX 705 hijacking trial was unfair:
Today, in calls and letters to USA TODAY, Calloway says his trial wasn't fair. He blames his attack on a sleep-related malady.
"None of the mental health 'experts' at my trial had the requisite experience in sleep medicine pathology to have discovered the 'mental disease or defect' I labored under during my uncharacteristic behavior on board FedEx Flight 705 in 1994," he said.
"None of the mental health 'experts' at my trial had the requisite experience in sleep medicine pathology to have discovered the 'mental disease or defect' I labored under during my uncharacteristic behavior on board FedEx Flight 705 in 1994," he said.
Last edited by Airbubba; 17th Jul 2012 at 02:11.
Poor man is still having problems with his "demons":
JetBlue pilot has psychotic episode in prison
DALLAS (AP) — The JetBlue Airways pilot who disrupted a cross-country flight by leaving the cockpit and yelling about religion and terrorists has had a psychotic episode in prison and requires further mental evaluation, a judge said Wednesday.
JetBlue pilot has psychotic episode in prison - Yahoo! News
DALLAS (AP) — The JetBlue Airways pilot who disrupted a cross-country flight by leaving the cockpit and yelling about religion and terrorists has had a psychotic episode in prison and requires further mental evaluation, a judge said Wednesday.
JetBlue pilot has psychotic episode in prison - Yahoo! News
Last edited by Bill Harris; 9th Aug 2012 at 03:42.
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DALLAS (AP) — The JetBlue Airways pilot who disrupted a cross-country flight by leaving the cockpit and yelling about religion and terrorists has had a psychotic episode in prison and requires further mental evaluation, a judge said Wednesday.
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JetBlue pilot who disrupted flight to be freed - Houston Chronicle
AMARILLO, Texas (AP) — A JetBlue Airways pilot who disrupted a cross-country flight by leaving the cockpit and yelling about religion and terrorists should be freed rather than committed to a mental health facility, a Texas judge ruled Friday.
AMARILLO, Texas (AP) — A JetBlue Airways pilot who disrupted a cross-country flight by leaving the cockpit and yelling about religion and terrorists should be freed rather than committed to a mental health facility, a Texas judge ruled Friday.
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Looking over the 'Conditions of Release' document, Osbon is directed to participate in an approved program 'for treatment of narcotic, drug, or alcohol dependency'. Is this just boilerplate or was he found to be under the influence of more than a diet supplement à la Denzel Washington in a recent movie?
Osbon is not allowed to associate with persons convicted of a felony with one handwritten name given as an exception.
He appears to be placed under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office until further order from the Court.
As reported elsewhere, he is ordered not to get on a commercial or private aircraft without getting permission. Also, he is ordered not to 'seek to obtain or retain a commercial or private pilot license'.
Osbon is not allowed to associate with persons convicted of a felony with one handwritten name given as an exception.
He appears to be placed under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office until further order from the Court.
As reported elsewhere, he is ordered not to get on a commercial or private aircraft without getting permission. Also, he is ordered not to 'seek to obtain or retain a commercial or private pilot license'.
