KLM passengers stuck after landing because pilot lost iPad
 

Yesterday (December 20, 2021) flight KL1365 from Amsterdam to Warsaw (Embraer E190) landed with slight delay at 16:31 local time.
After landing it was announced that no passenger is allowed to leave the aircraft until one of pilots finds his/her iPad. Supposedly cabin crew informed the passengers in an accusatory tone that "the iPad better be found".
After about 30 minutes police was called onboard the aircraft and asked passengers to help look for the tablet. It was found almost immediately under pilot's seat.

Airport operator of Warsaw Airport (Przedsiębiorstwo Państwowe „Porty Lotnicze” PPPL) confirmed that police intervened onboard KLM aircraft after landing.

Police press office confirms that police officers were dispatched and helped to look for lost tablet.

The event is reported by major media in Poland (TVN24, WP).

Surely this can't be true.
a) Flight deck door locked (surely?) therefore who could nick it?
b) They're highly trained aviators - surely they can find an iPad under their seat
c) How can you hold the passengers hostage on a whim?

Wonderful,:) you couldn't make it up. I have a big smile across my face. thanks tupungato .

iPads seems to have extraordinary powers ..I remember a few years back this evacuation video after an Indonesia accident of a passenger holding his IPad up with a big smile who said the iPad is more important that his life !

But on the article it is stated by the KLM spokesperson that the ipad was not one of the pilots but one of the CC, and it was not found under the pilots seat but under a pax seat.

https://polishnews.co.uk/flight-amst...ave-the-plane/

A much more plausible scenario. Passenger takes their chance during a moment of CC inattention, puts under seat for plausible deniabiliry. Only risk time is disembarkation when will have to be in possession. But that was preempted by CC, so under the seat it stays and, me, I know nothing.

Another plausible scenario - it wasn't a light-fingered passenger. As happened to me once (as SLF) - on takeoff a tablet slid along the floor from somewhere ahead of me. It hit my foot, so I realised that it was there, and tapped the shoulder of the person in front of me to ask if it was theirs. It was. Thanks all round. If it hadn't hit my foot, it could easily have gone back another row or two and not been seen.

The passengers aren't always in the wrong, are they?

Indeed not, just a possible scenario, but, in my opinion, more likely than the one outlined in the OP for reasons already mentioned.

Sounds like false arrest to me, by a civilian no less.

But what do I know, I come from a different time when human rights and rule of law were a thing and blind obedience of authority was considered a weakness rather than virtue.

Not necessarily, I've worked with some who couldn't find their feet without a chart... and even then they'd need assitance from a local guide.

So 2 passengers report it was the pilots ipad found under his seat, and 1 KLM person saying it was a CC members found under a PAX seat! Better to embarrass the CC than the pilot???

“Oh excuse me, I am just going to bend down here and hide my ipad under the seat in front of you, so that I can make a fool out of myself later on. Sorry about that inconvenience and awkward moment there, thanks!”

OR

Pax discovers he is found out, quickly shoves the ipad under the seat, and exits the airplane.

In KLM, each crewmember (and probably every employee) is issued with one. 2 cabin crew on E-jet.

Easy scenario to imagine; CC leaves iPad in galley, both CC go down the cabin with trolley clearing in at which time pax from where they have just passed visits forward lavatory, sees iPad left unattended, pax puts it under jumper thinking it will not be missed, and bingo, 1 iPad to the good.

I have even known cabin crew have their inflight trolley bags nicked from aircraft by disembarking passengers.

We used to have armed security get on board in Lagos to guard the duty free.

We stopped when it was found out the security detail was STEALING the duty free!!!!

Welcome to Africa..:E. There was a period when airport unpaid employees were stealing parts of the aircraft , and would agree on returning them against their salary arrears. It stopped when airlines forced the airports they were serving to pay their staff...
You only get what you pay for in this world.
It would seem that in this instance, a KLM crew member was applying the same technique: You will not get out of my aircraft until ,I get my iPad back.

We had the same on an caribbean destination and they even put up go pros (sort of bidden and at varying spots) to make sure the guards were also guarded.

There are restaurants at that destination where guests are served on plates and with cutlery with the airlines logo on it. And those arent given freely by the airline.

I know what you mean. In my divorce settlement my wife got the Christofle, I got all the Ansett, TAA and Qantas cutlery. Mine is probably worth more now

One Flight Attendant told me a lot of passenger lifejackets go missing from under the seats…especially on flights to exotic tropical destinations. It got so bad that they carried spares. Wouldn’t stealing aircraft safety equipment be a big crime?