Thursday, December 31, 2015

The Top 15 Craziest Commercial Aviation Stories of 2015

Every week, as part of our Sunday Five feature, we showcase the craziest story in commercial aviation of that week with our "What the Heck?" Story of the Week segment. Here we've pulled together the craziest stories in commercial aviation of 2015 for one giant list. Enjoy!                                 

#15: Smoking Smartphone 
A smartphone battery set off smoke alarms on a British Airways 787-8 flight from Seoul to London Heathrow causing the flight to divert to Irkutsk, Russia. A passenger accidentally dropped their phone between the seats, according to Russian authorities, subjecting the phone to increased pressures which caused the phone's battery to have a thermal runaway, causing the phone to emit the aforementioned smoke.  

#14: Cockpit Hide and Go Seek 
A man was found hiding in the cockpit of a JetBlue aircraft after it had landed at New York JFK International airport from the Dominican Republic. The man was arrested and charged with trespassing. It was unclear how the man was able to get into the cockpit unnoticed.  

#13: Airline Loses CEO's Bags 
The CEO of Alaska Airlines revealed that the same airline he leads lost his bags on a recent flight to Washington DC. According to CEO Bradley Tilden, it was the second in 25 years that Alaska Airlines had lost his bags. Alaska Airlines is the only major U.S. airline that promises to deliver your bag within 20 minutes after reaching the gate.  

#12: Plane Flies in Wrong Direction 
A Malaysia Airlines flight flew in the wrong direction after taking off from Auckland, New Zealand. Malaysia Airlines Flight #132, destined for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, started flying on a different course than the pilots expected. The pilots were able to change course and a full investigation has been launched into the incident. 

#11: Worst Passenger of 2015 
A passenger on a JetBlue flight from Anchorage, Alaska to Portland, Oregon was arrested for urinating on other passengers this past week. Jeff Rubin who, according to passengers and crew, spent most of the flight asleep, stood up with 30 minutes to go on the flight and began urinating between the two seats in front of his onto the passengers sitting there. He then lost his balance and sprayed urine all over passengers and their luggage. When police arrived to arrest Rubin, he was found 'slumped over in his seat asleep.'  

#10: Man Gets Past Security and Boards Flight...With Someone's else's Boarding Card 
A homeless man was able to get past security and board a Southwest Airlines flight with a boarding pass that wasn't his. 61 year old Michael Salata swiped a woman's boarding pass that was left at a check in kiosk and was able to proceed through security and board the plane. After the airline noticed that two people with the same ticket were trying to board the same flight, they called the authorities who promptly arrested Salas who, of course, repeatedly said that the ticket was his and there was only a mistake with the name on the ticket.  

#9: Passenger Uprising 
More than 6,000 passengers at Jakarta International Airport in Indonesia rioted after Indonesian low cost carrier Lion Air cancelled flights due to damaged aircraft. Passengers were forced to wait over 24 hours in the airport without food, accommodations, or any other type of assistance that could have been provided by Lion Air. The passengers locked Lion air staff into closets, staged a sit in on the tarmac in front of Lion Air aircraft, and taped shoes to ticket counters. Airport officials had to call police in to restore peace. In a statement, Lion Air said that affected passengers would receive a full refund of their airfare.  

#8: Man Takes Airport Security Into His Own Hands 
Jim Cooley, a Georgia resident was seen in Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport openly carrying a fully loaded AR-15 semi-automatic rifle while dropping off his daughter for her flight. A Georgia law passed in 2014 allows citizens to openly carry rifles in airports as long as they don't go through security. However, that didn't stop Cooley from getting scared looks from passengers. Many officers approached Cooley saying that they were receiving many calls from concerned passengers asking about the weapon (he says he carries it for safety).  



#7: Flying Sure is a Pain  
A woman flying on an Alaska Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Portland was stung by a scorpion mid-flight. The flight attendants then located the scorpion and killed it. The plane had to return to Los Angeles so that the woman could receive medical attention. In 2011, a similar incident occurred on a Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle to Anchorage where a passenger was also stung by a scorpion.  

#6: Firefighters Confuse Exhaust Fumes With Smoke 
Fuzhou City (China) Airport firefighters sprayed the wrong plane with foam last week. After crew members saw sparks coming out of the engine of an Air China 737-800, Fuzhou City Airport firefighters sprayed foam on a different Air China 737-800 which had exhaust fumes coming out of its tail. Air traffic control workers quickly alerted the firefighters of their mistake. While the right aircraft was eventually sprayed with foam, the 737-800 that was accidentally sprayed with foam was delayed more than 10 hours.  

#5: Serial Selfie Taker 
An American Airlines plane was taken out of service after an airport contractor was spotted taking a selfie on the wing of the plane where it explicitly says "Do Not Walk." Apparently this wasn't the first time the worker had taken a selfie on a wing with JetBlue reporting that the same worker had pulled the stunt on one of its own aircraft.  

#4: Pilot Flushes Bullets Down the Toilet 
A United Airlines pilot on a flight from Houston to Munich flushed bullets down the toilet after previously throwing the bullets away in a trash can accessible to passengers. A flight attendant looking for a passenger's ring discovered the bullets in the trash can and immediately notified the captain. The pilot did not bring his gun with him onto the flight but realized he still had ammunition in his briefcase. The pilot notified German authorities of the disposal of ammunition.  

#3: Baggage Handler Takes a Snooze in the Cargo Hold 
A Menzies Aviation baggage handler fell asleep in the cargo hold of an Alaska Airlines flight this past week. The baggage handler, who has yet to be named, woke up when flight 448 had already taken to the air. He proceeded to call 911 in what amounted to be an incredibly confusing and call for both the baggage handler and the 911 dispatcher. The baggage handler hung up on the 911 dispatcher and proceeded to bang on the ceiling of the cargo hold, effectively gaining the attention of both the first class passengers and the pilots. The pilots immediately turned the plane back to Seattle Tacoma International Airport. The plane was in the air for a total of 14 minutes.  


#2: Judge Judy Didn't Teach this Woman a Lesson 
A woman flying on an American Airlines flight from a recent Judge Judy taping stole a flight attendant's Ipad and tote bag. After the pilot went on the loudspeaker to alert the flight about the missing tote bag, passengers spotted the flight attendant's Ipad cover which led the flight attendant's to search the woman's seat only to find the Flight attendant's tote bag, sans the Ipad. The woman also stole a passenger's passport and bank card which she hid in her underwear. The woman was arrested and charges were brought against her.  

#1: Plane Stupidity 
A singer in a British boy band called Rewind passed out from heat exhaustion on an EasyJet flight from London to Glasgow. James McElvar decided to wear all of his clothes in his suitcase instead of paying a $70 bag fee. McElvar wore 12 layers which included three pairs of jeans, two pairs of sweatpants, six T-shirts, and two jackets. On board McElvar suffered from heat exhaustion, became violently sick, and passed out. Thankfully for all the Rewind fans out there, McElvar recovered quickly.

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