Males' Lav Sex Causes New York Flight Terror Alert - BBC
 

The BBC has a bulletin reporting that "two men who had sex in a plane toilet spark terror alert on New York flight".

This stuff is getting stranger every day...

[ 13 February 2002: Message edited by: Airbubba ]</p>

********************************** Jetliner Lust Attracts F-16s . .By JOHN MARZULLI and BILL HUTCHINSON Daily News Staff Writers

Randy, drug-fueled romp in a New York-bound jet's rest room sparked a midair terror scare that sent a pair of F-16 fighter jets scrambling, authorities revealed yesterday.

But the red alert aboard American Airlines Flight 101 from London on Friday gave way to red faces when authorities discovered all the fuss was over two amorous British men.

Police said the passengers, whose names were not released, admitted smoking crack cocaine and having sex in the cramped rest room.

The miles-high ordeal began about 8:15 a.m. Friday on the London-to-New York flight, said an American Airlines spokeswoman.

Flight attendants complained to the pilot that the two men were acting suspiciously, making four or five trips to the rest room together.

"A captain had requested that the local authorities meet the two passengers at the gate at Kennedy," said airline spokeswoman Sonja Whitemon.

Air Force Listens In

Air Force officials overheard the captain's radio dispatch to American Airlines operations and sent two F-16s to intercept the jetliner over the Atlantic Ocean, said Federal Aviation Administration officials.

Whitemon insisted the airplane's crew did not ask for the military escort.

"The captain requested that that not happen because he didn't believe the situation was that serious, but it happened anyway," Whitemon said.

The two passengers were asleep when the plane touched down at JFK and were escorted off by Port Authority, Customs and FAA agents.

No drugs were found on the men, who were not charged with any crimes. Immigration officials denied them entry into the country because they admitted smoking crack in the rest room, law enforcement officials said.

The men were put back on a plane bound for London later Friday, officials said.

Original Publication Date: 2/13/02

So this is what we can expect now...

The Airforce just "listening in" and making the call when they believe they need to act...

Reguardless of what the Captain says, thinks or eventually does...

Mark my word people, it is just a matter of time, before one of two things happens.

1. The Airforce will blow a plane out of the sky without removing all doubt, it is indeed a bad guy doing the driving.

2. Some Air Marshal will shoot and kill an innocent passenger(s) during an air incident, where the pax (again) reacted to the threat waaaaaaaaaay before the marshal did and the marshal, defaulting to his guberment training presumes EVERYONE onboard was a terrorist...

Stop the world folks, I wanna get off......

. . <img src="frown.gif" border="0">

You are too right. Lots of little Caesars running around trying to be "the big hero" are going to kill someone. . .After 40 years in aviation, I'll take the train. Things were so much better for everyone back then. Even the hiring process.

If they had been in the US on a (no smoking allowed) flight, it would have been rewarding to charge them with endangering the lives of everyone else. If only...

Those d****d *******.

F-16s scrambled??? Please? American Paranoia at it's best. Two guys shagging in the toilet and they scramble F-16s. Did they have beards and turbans as well? What ever next Mr Bush?

Well said Mode 7

Have they actually cut the patrol frequency set up after September 11th? This had 4 fighters over Washington and 2 over New York (24x7).

In this case, I would have thought that the New York pair would not have needed "scrambling" to this incident.

[ 14 February 2002: Message edited by: newswatcher ]</p>

:) :) :) :) :) -- no comment! I can’t stop laughing!!

Oh yeah, Mode7..just 'cause we're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get us!!!..and another thing how do you perform any sex act in those cramped quarters ? <img src="rolleyes.gif" border="0"> <img src="eek.gif" border="0">

spinproof, one probably sat on the other's lap and waited for turbulence...

spinproof

[quote] just 'cause we're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get us!!!.. <hr></blockquote>

That says it all...

Ok so in retrospect this was an unnecessary scramble.. .So what?. .They way they do things, it's pretty easy to pile contempt on the Americans and make them out to be farcical figures of fun.. .But is it fair?

How many of us would have reacted with the same kind of scorn if we had been told before sept 11 that aircraft would be used as weapons of mass murder?

I know I probably would have.. .Putting myself in their place right now, I am not sure how restrained and sensible I would be.

Let's have some empathy people.

Would that be the "Pile High" club they were trying to join?

Probably not the first time a bloke has got in trouble for having a fag in the lav...

The next time they want to fly United, they should take BA!

They were smoking the Baloney Pony, not tobacco, so all is well. Yeah, right.

The USA has indeed become paranoid. What scares me is that the general public just loves all this added "security".

MODE 7 & I M EXPERT

Paranoia? wow, i am so grateful that you two have pointed out to me that sept 11 was just a bad dream. great, i can go back to my old life.

Paranoia, in case you didnt know, is when you think someone is after you and there is not.

mode 7, from your comments it appears you have a problem with the way Bush has handled this. since you seem to be an expert in world politics, please enlighten us with your vast wisdom and explain how you would have handled the ficticious events of sept 11.

i would rather overreact and spend a few bucks on gas for an F-16, than get hit because i was too worried about whether or not some yahoo thinks i am being paranoid.

gentlemen, no one came close do dying at the hands of those F-16's. as a matter of fact, no one has come close in all of these "paranoid" american overreactions. contrary to what you think, the US military is not run entirely by cowboys itching to pull the trigger.

[ 14 February 2002: Message edited by: LMD ]</p>

LMD, look at it in perspective. The issue was a couple of guys rutting in the lavs, not a hijack. The Capt made it perfectly clear that he just wanted them dealt with by Customs and Immigration for causing a nuisance, not a fighter escort. These guys were in no way a sufficient risk to warrant that. Then again, what about the guy who slept though the announcement that all pax have to remain in their seats 30 mins before landing in Salt Lake City and the end result was 3 lunatic air marshals waving guns in everyone's face and forcing all the pax on the flt to keep their hands on their heads until landing? I am sorry, but this isn't over-reaction, this is gun toting macho BS of the worst and highest order. The guy was a businessman busting for a waz, not a terrorist.

It is about time Bush got a grip and listened to reason. You don't win against terrorists by overt action. It takes years of covert activity to defeat terrorism, and having these morons running round like Chuck Norris does nothing for either security or pax confidence, and is moer likely than not to result in a major accident. Either an inncoent pax is going to get shot, or stray rounds are going to pierce the a/c at FL300 resulting in an explosive decompression or something. These guys are a danger to themselves and the travelling public.

kbf,

i take great offense at your comments. my brother is in the process of becoming a "lunatic" marshal. do you know anything about what it takes?. .i doubt it. listen ace, the US and its friends are doing what it takes to counteract these barbarians in the long term. but in the mean time the US will "overreact" as much as neccessary in order to prevent ANYTHING from happening again.

you say that these two individuals were of no danger to the a/c. well thats the whole point. they were not sure what was going on. 2 F-16's were sent just in case. so what. there was ZERO danger to the AA. maybe your country's military aircraft have a hard time controlling themselves but these guys know what they are doing. what harm was done by having the F-16's there, probably out of visual range? you need to relax. we will defend our country as we see fit, you can sit back and let the diplomats and beurocrats talk for years on the "prudent" way to handle these poor misunderstood people while they continue to blow up buildings and kill innocent people. in the mean time we will continue to act as we see fit. i for one, as a pilot, am glad that these "lunatics" are up there risking there lives in order to keep mine safe. it is amazing the amount of ignorance in regards to the sky marshall program by some of this board. you obviously have no idea of what they are and what they do or the amount of training that they have. typical anti-american ignorance. we are all just a bunch of arrogant cowboys dyin' to shoot something up. if you dont like it, dont fly on US aircraft and dont visit America. either way, i could care less.

[ 14 February 2002: Message edited by: LMD ]</p>

Golly Gosh - well I hope nothing does happen after all that, or else there will be some chaps looking frightfully silly.. .real security is about prevention not cure

LMD, there are many people on this board, in the world at large and in aviation specifically who understand America's postion and the reason for the actions it takes.

Your bellicose ranting and accusing all and sunder of "ignorant anti-americanism" does your country a great dis-service, and merely confirms the doubts some people have as to the level headedness of your countrymen in general.

Don't cut off your nose to spite your face man, and don't antagonize your supporters.