Pilot Terrorizes Passengers

[Pete C]

Pilot urges passengers to discuss their religion


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Associated Press Feb. 9, 2004

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An American Airlines pilot asked Christians on his flight to identify themselves and suggested the non-Christians discuss the faith with them, the airline said.

American's Flight 34 was headed from Los Angeles to New York's John F. Kennedy Airport on Friday when the pilot asked Christians on board to raise their hands.

The pilot, whose name was not released, told the airline that he then suggested the other passengers use the flight time to talk to the Christians about their faith.

The case was handed over to the airline's personnel department for an investigation, spokesman Tim Wagner said Sunday.

"It falls along the lines of a personal level of sharing that may not be appropriate for one of our employees to do while on the job," he said earlier.

Passenger Amanda Nelligan told WCBS-TV of New York that the pilot called non-Christians "crazy" and that his comments "felt like a threat." She said she and several others aboard were so worried they tried to call relatives on their cell phones before flight attendants assured them they were safe and that people on the ground had been notified about the pilot's comments.

The pilot also told passengers he would be available for discussion at the end of the flight.

Because of privacy issues, there would likely never be any announcement about what kind of punishment or reprimand the pilot may face, Wagner said.

[Gary Sisco]

Holy smokes. And they won't even allow us to carry even an eye-glasses repair kit on to the plane with which to defend ourselves.

Talk about a captive audience. Imagine having to listen to that drivel on a red-eye to L.A. Shit like that is not only terrorism it can also cause it.

I'd fire the guy out of hand.

[Brian Olewnick]

Can you imagine the headlines if the pilot were Muslim and made similar comments, calling religions other than Islam "crazy"? Think this would've made the headlines then?

[Gary Sisco]

Doubt they'd knowingly even allow a Moslem to fly an airliner today.

[stonemonkts]

Originally posted by Gary Sisco

I'd fire the guy out of hand.

Indeed! This guy should be not only fired but charged with something, I don't know what. but something. Sounds like the flight from HELL.

[Enforcer]

Originally posted by stonemonkts
This guy should be not only fired but charged with something, I don't know what. but something.

I don't know what the charge should be, but for a fun and surprisingly fit punishment they could make him spend some time with the Hare Krishnas in the terminal.

Eager to step up and suggest ways to make people miserable,
Larry

[Uli]

I think they sould investigate a kidnapping charge.

[crawjo]

Wow, that is just incredibly bizarre. I don't know if the guy should be fired or sent to a mental institution or both. If I was a passenger on that plane, I would think to myself "He wants non-Christians to talk to Christians. He wants to convert us. Why? Is he planning on crashing this plane and thus is giving us our last chance to get right with God? Creepy.

[patricia]

Interestingly, had the pilot not been a Christian of some stripe, the question of whether he should be punished, reprimanded, fired, etc. would never be coming up. The passengers, all of them, doubtless familiar with the hijacking by "other" zeolots of the planes on Sept 11, would have swarmed him and possibly beaten him to death and considered heroes when they landed.
Zeolots are not just from far-away lands, belonging to thousands of year-old faiths. We have tons of them here, who call themselves "Christians". Scary stuff, being trapped thousands of feet in the air by a pilot who fancies himself as ministering to the multitudes.

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Hey, let's just be grateful that the pilot wasn't an Amway distributor. It would have gotten very ugly for sure...............

[shrugs]

Is he related to Lt. Gen Boykin?

[Chris D]

This sounds so out there as to be urban legend material.

[Ron Thorne]

Originally posted by Chris D
This sounds so out there are to be urban legend material.

I agree Chris, however it was reported in Salon, ABC, NBC and the NYT exactly as shown from the AP story Pete posted.

Bizarre!

[jesus marion joseph]

Sounds like another drunk pilot story.

Originally posted by jesus marion joseph
Sounds like another drunk pilot story.

Perhaps he overindulged on Michael Jackson's Jesus Juice.

[john williams]

String the fucker up...