JetBlue captain subdued after pounding on cockpit

http://blog.jetblue.com/index.php/2012/03/28/flight-191-update/

1. You’re saying it’s a “medical situation” but isn’t it a security issue?
Initial reports indicated that Flight 191 was diverting to Amarillo due to a medical situation. As the events unfolded, it became clear that security was also an element of this episode, but not the overriding issue in our opinion. The FBI has said terrorism is not a factor in this incident.
2. What happened to the pilot? What was the health issue?
Although we do not know at this time what caused the pilot’s actions, the Captain is currently under the care of medical professionals and out of respect for his privacy, we won’t share further details about his private life.
3. Do we know what caused this?
We’re not privy to that information – but hope and trust he is getting the care he needs and we are offering our support to him and his family. We would like to acknowledge the professional and immediate action of the First Officer, the off-duty Captain, and the Inflight Crew – their focus was on the safety of the customers on board, and we believe they handled the situation perfectly.
4. How badly could things have gone if the Captain remained in or returned to the flight deck?
We think it would be inappropriate to speculate on what might have happened. We are confident in the procedures in place by the industry as well as at JetBlue that ensured a safe landing. Our Flight and Inflight crewmembers are trained to handle situations with the safety of the customers and crew onboard as their first priority, and to call upon customers for help when needed. Our aircraft are built with redundancies to protect the flight deck.
JetBlue was actually the first airline to install bullet-proof hardened cockpit doors, which are coded and virtually impenetrable. When the flight crew inside the deck close and lock that door, no one can get in.
5. What would have happened if there hadn’t been an off-duty Captain on the flight to step in?
Both Captains and First Officers are trained to fly our aircraft. Our First Officer was the pilot in command yesterday (in control of the aircraft from takeoff to landing) and the off-duty Captain stepped in to help.
 
And...
http://travel.usatoday.com/flights/...d-after-erratic-behavior-on-flight/53811070/1
Osbon abruptly left the cockpit to go to the forward lavatory, alarming the rest of the flight crew when he didn't follow the company's protocol for leaving the cockpit, according to the affidavit.​
When flight attendants met Osbon and asked him what was wrong, he became aggressive and banged on the door of the occupied lavatory, saying he needed to get inside.​
Osbon walked to the rear of the aircraft but along the way stopped and asked a male passenger if he had a problem. Osbon then sprinted back to the forward galley and tried to enter his code to re-enter the cockpit.​
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ined-PASSENGERS-going-berserk-mid-flight.html
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His co-pilot had managed to coax him out of the flight deck and changed the security code after becoming concerned when the experienced captain had started randomly flipping switches in the cockpit.
​
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How can he be charged with interference with a flight crew, when he is the captain? Seems slightly aggressive considering by all accounts it was medical in nature. The guy from Kony 2012 was masturbating in public and was just taken to the hospital as happens 99% of the time.
 
CBS News is saying:
  • The Captain told ATC they were making to much noise.
  • Turned off the radios.
  • Dimmed the displays.
  • Told the 1st officer nothing really mattered and the flight wasn't going to Las Vegas.
The 1st officer suggested they invite the dead heading pilot to the flight deck. The Captain got mad and left the flight deck. The 1st officer changed the combo.

The Captain walked to the rear of the aircraft then ran back to the front with the FA's chasing him. Started beating on the door yelling; Throttles to idle, Al-Qaeda is taking over the aircraft.
 
exneophyte said:
I'm curious on the details on how the copilot got the captain out of the cockpit. Most people don't take kindly to being told they are losing it so I would assume it had to be something kind of clever.
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I think he left on his own. The reports say he abruptly left the cockpit without going through the standard procedures airlines have to go through if the pilot has to leave the cockpit. Apparently that alarmed the crew that something was up. It seems the FO took advantage of that situation and locked him out once he left. Good call for sure. The FO said he was rambling incoherently and said " We aren't going to Vegas" then started in on some sort of sermon. Id probably have karate chopped him in the throat then called in an FA to hog tie him.
Jokes aside, I feel extremely bad for this guy. It seems he was very well respected and now faces federal charges.
 
Given the medias spin on things is it possible the Ca was presenting a situation to the F/O and it all went bad?
 
knot4u said:
Given the medias spin on things is it possible the Ca was presenting a situation to the F/O and it all went bad?
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I highly doubt it. I believe the FO made an announcement over the PA to have able passengers help restrain him once he started beating on the door.
 
I have to say that "inviting" the off duty pilot to the cockpit was a pretty non-threatening way to handle the situation and get an extra person up there to help him. The FO probably didn't think the captain would storm out like he did, but it did the trick.
 
I think there is a larger problem at work here. This is a situation where I think he has had problems for a while but couldn't seek help because of the FAA's stand on depression and other mental disorders. Most of these are totally fixable and does not take 12 months, but having to take a year off from work and have thousands of dollars worth of doctors evaluations to be able to return to work is what caused this. Realistically how many people can can take a year off of work and pay for all the tests that the FAA would require to get his medical passed and even then it is a crapshoot.
 
We really don't know what exactly happened to him or what is wrong with him and I think he deserves better than speculations. From everything his co-workers have stated, no one has seem him demonstrate any strange behavior before this incident. While anything is a possibility, we just don't know. Even some viral or bacterial infections that are related to the nervous system or the brain can cause some pretty out there behavior and reactions. I just cringe knowing that the public can view this forum and we should not be leaping to any unsubstantiated conclusions about him or implying that a lot of pilots are flying around who need treatment for mental disorders and could go off the deep end at any time, or that they are all getting passed through on medical exams or whatever. That isn't going to make any pax feel safer and media are known to visit aviation forums after accidents or incidents.
 
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