Look how far back I had to go to find you! Remember our conversation about the pilot using an axe handle? It happened today!
Passenger Foiled Trying to Enter Cockpit on Plane Out of Miami
Thursday, February 07, 2002
MIAMI — A passenger tried to enter the cockpit of an international flight out of Miami Thursday — but was overwhelmed by the crew and passengers after the co-pilot hit him over the head with a fire ax.
United Airlines Flight 855 was halfway to Buenos Aires, Argentina, when Pablo Moreira, 28, a banker from Uruguay, began kicking and hitting the door, the FBI said.
Judy Orihuela, an FBI spokeswoman in Miami, said the captain opened the cockpit door and Moreira made it inside. She said the co-pilot then grabbed the fire ax and hit Moreira in the head, subduing him.
Moreira was restrained by the flight crew and later arrested by police after the flight landed as scheduled in Buenos Aires at 8:30 a.m. EDT, Orihuela said.
United spokeswoman Chris Nardella said the passenger never gained full entry due to the reinforced cockpit door bar that United installed on all its jets after Sept. 11.
The airliner took off from Miami at midnight with 157 people aboard. Moreira began kicking the cockpit door about five hours into the flight, as the jetliner flew over Brazil, Orihuela said.
She said Moreira did not appear drunk and was not armed. She said she was not aware of any threats made by Moreira or what prompted him to try to enter the cockpit.
Brian Hopman, an Associated Press sales associate who was a passenger on the flight, said the suspect apparently wanted to talk to the pilot and approached the cockpit, prompting the crew to react quickly.
"There was a huge panic," said Hopman, who was seated halfway back in the plane. "Red lights were flashing and an army of people rushed forward to the front of the plane."
Hopman said he could not see all that was unfolding. But he said the man was quickly overpowered near the cockpit, and the crew then closed the curtains on the business-class section for the remainder of the flight.
"He was handcuffed by the pilots with the help of passengers, and when we landed, Argentine troops arrested him," said Hopman.
"It was pretty much business as usual after the incident," he added. "We had meals and people got up and walked around. They just said, 'Do not go into the [business] cabin."'
Another passenger aboard the flight told WPLG-TV in Miami: "He inserted himself, you know his torso, into the cockpit. So I jumped on him and other individuals jumped on him.
"What I learned later is that he was halfway into the cockpit, and then, on the other side, the co-pilot used an ax that they have in the cockpit to basically hit him bluntly on the head."
The passenger said some crew members and others then carried the suspect back to business class, where they tied him up with seatbelts.
Moreira was treated for his injuries and was lucid and in stable condition Thursday, Orihuela said. She said a flight attendant also received minor injuries in the struggle.
Moreira will be charged with interfering with a flight crew and flown back to Miami sometime Thursday, Orihuela said.
United Airlines said it had notified local authorities and the FBI about the incident. In a statement, United said flights to and from Argentina would continue as scheduled.
Thursday's incident highlighted anew the rising safety concerns surrounding air travel safety.
On Jan. 28, police removed a disruptive woman from an America West Airlines flight that was just about to leave Phoenix for San Diego, officials said.
On Jan. 30, the San Francisco International Airport was evacuated after security guards detected explosives residue on the shoes of a man who then disappeared into a crowd. Thousands of passengers waited outside while 28 gates were closed for about two hours and the United Airlines terminal was searched. The man was not found. |
