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
nice post....
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