Disgruntled Employee Sabotages American Airlines Flight

One disgruntled American Airlines employee is in hot water after coming clean about sabotaging a flight’s navigation system; he was arrested and charged for the crime, which forced passengers on a flight to deplane and look to the airline to get them on a different flight to their destination.

As a labor dispute battle rages between American Airlines and its mechanics, one employee took the issue into his own hands and tried to sabotage a flight in July. Mechanic Abdul-Majeed Marouf Ahmed Alani has admitted to causing the navigation system to error out because he is angry that contract negotiations between the union and the airline have stalled. He alleges he’s been affected financially.

The flight, scheduled for July 17, was meant to fly from Miami to the Bahamas. But after the engines started, an error message popped up on the navigation system, forcing the crew to return to the gate. Passengers were then placed on another plane for the flight.

According to CNBC, “the mechanic told law enforcement officials he inserted a piece of foam into the inlet of the plane’s air data module, which measures the plane’s pitch, speed and other information.” His intent was not to cause harm but to delay or cancel the flight in order to get overtime pay. A fellow mechanic discovered the issue.

“At American we have an unwavering commitment to the safety and security of our customers and team members and we are taking this matter very seriously,” American Airlines spokeswoman Leslie Scott told CNBC.

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