Passenger Subdued On LA-To-DC Flight

Other Passengers Tackle Man Who Exited Bathroom In Army Gear, Tried To Open Exit Door

(CBS/AP)  A man wearing military fatigues and throwing punches into the air tried to open the exit door of a jet during a cross-country flight on Tuesday night, airline officials and passengers said.

United Airlines Flight 890 from Los Angeles landed as scheduled at Washington Dulles International Airport at 8:35 p.m., said Amy Kudwa, a Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman. No one was injured.

"This man came out of the bathroom, he was dressed in like an army suit. Full army gear," said passenger Naomi Rodriguez.

The passenger became unruly about 3½ hours into the flight from Los Angeles and was subdued by other passengers and federal air marshals.

"It happened so quickly, there was a passenger about six feet tall.
He just like jumped on top of him," Rodriguez said.

"After the passenger was restrained, the pilot decided to land at Dulles," United spokeswoman Megan McCarthy McCarthy said. "It wasn't an emergency landing."

Ken Wolfenberger, of Whittier, Calif., who was on the flight, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that he helped subdue the unruly passenger. The man wore patches on his fatigues with special forces and jujitsu champion logos, Wolfenberger said.

The man had been acting strangely for about 20 minutes before the incident, then sat up, wrapped belts around his hands and threw punches into the air, Wolfenberger said.

Wolfenberger said he heard a flight attendant yell for help and tell the man, "Sir, get your hand off the handle."

"Any time you hear a flight attendant shout 'please help,' you worry that something pretty bad is going to happen," he said.

Wolfenberger said he got up to help, but by that time, the man was being held down and punched by other passengers. Wolfenberger grabbed the man's leg and held him down. Air marshals then came and took custody of the man.

Airport police and FBI agents met the flight and were interviewing the passenger, said FBI spokeswoman Debbie Wierman.

There were 138 passengers and six crew members on board, McCarthy said.

[whooptie]

The airlines have a responsibilty to inform their customers about their safety when flying.

They give those little presentations about how to use the seat as a flotation device (when your flying over the desert!)etc, but never discuss how to handle these types of situations. You know that's what's on everybodys mind, not crashing.

What!! They can't handle the truth?
The bury your head in the sand thing doesn't work.
Those people did what they thought was best.

This will continue untill the airlines are up front about the issue and tell you how to protect your safety in this type of situation.

One or two air marshals can't be everwhere.

Kudoos to all aboard who took control of the situation.

[jbx2005]

Ok, me again - wife on the plane guy. I'm not going to say much about the Marshals other than to say that the nut job (excellent characterization) was at the rear of the plane, and the passengers were closer. It was NOT long before the first Marshal was charging down the aisle shouting, "Marshal, clear the aisle!"

As to the man's 'intentions,' yes, I expect his interview process after landing was thorough. He was acting sufficiently weird as to draw the passengers' attention long before he acted. Without going into detail, he engaged one flight attendant in a conversation, which was sufficient for her to alert the other flight attendants. Trust me, the flight crew was watching him closely for some time - probably the reason for the rapid intervention.

[jrhtts]

Hi Wiffenpooff:

It's me again. I agree with you. I think it would foolish not to ascertain his true motives, identity and check into his background. I would wager that government officals are still "chatting" with him and that he hasn't had much sleep.

You never know this could have been a stage information gather event to gather intelligence for Al Qaeda..............nah, he's just nut job.

[hrdstonewall]

It's true, not only do Air Marshalls have to show some restraint before uncovering theselves, but hijackings normally start with a diversion in order to gain access to the cockpit or other control areas. Air Marshalls should not be questioned for lack of action in any way. One more reason to support air crews requesting permission to carry non-lethal and lethal arms on board.Regarding the heroic passengers and crew who thought none of their own good in order to swiftly act against the threat, they should be formally commended. This is Flight 93's legacy, anyone who thinks about hijacking a plane in post-911, should think also about having a bunch of angry passengers AND Air Marshalls on top of them faster that they can say -This is a Hijacking!-

[wiffenppooff]

That's a mistake everyone seems to make these days!It%u2019s very wrong and quite foolish to dismiss people and surmise that they have no clear and reasonable motives for their actions, no matter how %u2018nutty%u2019 they may seem. After all to say that a human being acts without giving thought to what he is doing is quite absurd! Even the mentally deranged have their own motives! I, myself, don%u2019t agree with the supposition that he%u2019s a %u2018nut job%u2019%u2026.. I think he once believed in something very strongly and is now disappointed by it!

[jrhtts]

Hi Wiffenpooff:

The short answer to better understanding the perputrator is the guy was a "nut job".

[wiffenppooff]

There were many comments posted but all were mostly unilateral- discussing the terrible ordeal of the passengers, the inadequate actions or should I say lack of action on the part of the air marshals etc. Nobody posed the real question however! What led to or prompted such actions on the part of the unnamed offender? In a time when it%u2019s becoming more and more difficult to ***** such events objectively, when there is an utter lack of communication and understanding (not meant to be synonymous with indulgence) between nations and people, I believe that probing the reprobate and earnestly endeavoring to understand him is what is most needed! Not petty criticism%u2026

[jrhtts]

Thank God for the passengers that put this man down, but where were the marshalls? 'Air marshalls then came and took custody of the man', after being subdued by the passengers. Should this not be questioned?
______________________________________________
Hi Avgeno:

I initially thought the same thing as you, and then realized it must have been one of two scenarios.

1. The air marshalls simple could not get to the guy before the other passengers subdued the man.

2. It could possibly be due to the air marshall's training. The man making the disturbance may have been trying to flush out air marshalls so that one or more of his co-terrorists would be able to identify and neutralize the air marshalls.

[avgeno]

What are we missing here? Thank God for the passengers that put this man down, but where were the marshalls? 'Air marshalls then came and took custody of the man', after being subdued by the passengers. Should this not be questioned?

[jbx2005]

My wife was on that flight last night. She said it was over very quickly. She heard a female voice expressing alarm, a man yelling "just jump him!" and 5-6 passengers were on the lunatic within seconds. Everyone noticed he was acting strangely for some time, so it seems the folks in the back of plane were on edge just in case. It was frightening, she said, but she was actually reassured and reminded how many heroes are among us. There was no hesitation among the passengers in getting up to help. They got off the plane first (as witnesses) to much applause.

[azman80]

That has to be a very nerve crushing moment! In a time where safety on a plane is the most important issue when flying, there has to be some devices that can be used to instantly subdue an unruly passenger(s). Kudos to the marshals.

[jetlizhan]

How frightening for all those passengers and crew. I love flying, always have and probably always will. However, now, at the onset - instead of looking at the beautiful sky and scenery at takeoff - I find myself looking at each and every passenger and wondering 'are you the one that will decide if I live or die today?' - how very unbelievably sad.