Row Of Seats Come Loose In-Flight Causing Emergency

A United Airlines flight declared an emergency and returned to Seattle after takeoff when a row of seats on the Boeing 737 came loose and slid into the row behind it injuring one passenger. Flight 1139 was on the way to San Fransisco when one bolt was loosened during the takeoff, forcing row 3 to come loose from the floor tracks and slide into row 4. A 61 year-old woman was transported to the hospital with a knee injury. FAA spokesman Allen Kinetzer told the Seattle Times that an "airline maintenance crew discovered the loose bolt on the Boeing 737 and fixed it." One bolt? To hold down an entire row of seats? I suppose if you want two bolts on your row you have to pay an additional $25.

(Seattle Times via Today in The Sky)

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Ticks on a plane! (I can't believe I just used that title)

A United Airlines flight from Denver to Des Moines was delayed for 6 hours yesterday after a passenger discovered a tick in economy class. Airline spokeswoman, Robin Urabanski, told the AP that between one and three tick were found on the aircraft (that hard to narrow down?). United decided not to continue flight 1178 with an infested airplane so another was flown in to take its place. The tick-plane was cleaned subsequently returned to service later that day. It is unknown to United how the ticks may have gotten on the plane in the first place. Come on, you've seen some of the people that sit in coach, right?

(via USA Today)

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United flight cancelled over upset pilot and his hat

A United flight from Salt Lake City to Denver was cancelled yesterday after one of the pilots announced to the passengers that he was too upset to fly. One of the passengers told USA Today that the pilot may have been involved in a labor-related dispute at the gate area just moments before passenger boarding. Apparently the pilot was confronted by other United pilots about him wearing his hat in public. It turns out the pilots of United that belong to the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA)have been not wearing their uniform hats recently in a protest to management over their labor agreement. The hat-wearing pilot was later overheard in a heated cellphone conversation where he said "he was going to complain to the union." Not too long after the passengers took their seats aboard flight 416 the pilot made an announcement over the aircraft's PA that was paraphrased by the witness as this:

"some of you may have witnessed an incident I was involved in at the gate. I'm not going to go into the details, but it was an interpersonal confrontation that upset me significantly to the point where I'm not focused enough to fly you to Denver. I feel like I may not be calmed and focused enough to fly to Denver for another hour."

Of course a collective groan went up from the cabin after that word. United spokeswoman Robin Urbanski told USA Today that the flight was indeed cancelled due to "internal company procedures designed to ensure flight crews are prepared to fly." All of the passengers were accommodated by the airline in some form. No word on whether or not he's still wearing his hat.

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Drunk Passenger Duct Taped to Seat

Lesson to be learned...don't attack a flight attendant, especially when drunk. This man did not get the message though. He attacked a flight attendant and was then wrassled back into his seat by a group of passengers and crew during a United flight (#862) flight last week from Hong Kong to Los Angeles.

The unruly man was then duct-taped to his seat by several passengers aboard. Yes, he was duct taped and I think that adds another use to the already existing 1001 known uses. Needless to say, he was arrested when the plane landed in LA.

To add to his criminal charges, he injured a number of the passengers who were trying to restrain him after his outburst. There were 329 passengers, 15 flight attendants, and 4 pilots on board the United B747 flight. The name of the passenger was not released, but I've learned that he was from the Orange County, California area.

Update 3:27pm: For those of you who are concerned, this is not the picture of the dude who was strapped to the aircraft seat...it was used for illustrative purposes only. If you are so concerned, where was your concern for this post, do you think this is actually the pilot?

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Airline threw a Jew for plane prayer

The ACLU is going to eat this one up. According to the local NYC ABC affiliate, United Airlines booted an Orthodox Jewish man off a plane at JFK Wednesday night because he was saying his prayers during passenger boarding. Before the flight to San Fran even left the ground, the "suspect" moved to the back of the plane to say his prayers. The Flight Attendants apparently didn't like this and asked him to return to his seat. The man, unfazed by the demands, didn't stop praying. A few of the man's friends explained to the crew that once he started his 2 minute prayers, he couldn't stop them. Though he explained afterwards that he was fulfilling his religious rituals and not trying to be rude, the airline still booted him from the flight. United put the man on another flight the next day.

As a 1/8th Jewish man myself, I call upon the Hebrew Hammer for some Jew Justice up on this.

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"Kriss-Kross"ed brake cables the "Daddy-Mac" in Jackson Hole Runway Excursion

The NTSB has indicated preliminary inspections of the United Airlines Airbus A320 that slid off the runway at Jackson Hole, Wyoming last Tuesday night show that it had its left main gear wheel speed tachometer wires crossed incorrectly between the inboard and outboard wheels. This configuration could easily lead to improper anti-skid usage by the aircraft. Supposedly, both main gear units were replaced earlier in the month.

The flight from Denver exited the runway edge and ended up in 5 feet of snow severely damaging the both engines (as seen in the photo from Jackson Hole News&Guide) Apparently, damage to the airframe is nominal. While the NTSB investigation continues, Jackson Hole Airport officials wonder how many more aircraft they'll have to yank out of ditches as this is the second commercial flight to exit the runway in 2 weeks.