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AA Mechanic Sabotages Plane at MIA 17 Jul 2019, arrested

AA Mechanic Sabotages Plane at MIA 17 Jul 2019, arrested

Old Sep 6, 2019, 6:31 pm
  #76  
 
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Originally Posted by JDiver
If the Union contract requires it, I’m sure they’ll go through the motions. But if the members find him alone sometime he might find himself being used as a piñata.
Scroll on CNN this afternoon indicates mechanic is being represented by a Public Defender, which suggests the Union wants nothing to do with it.
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Old Sep 6, 2019, 6:33 pm
  #77  
 
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Originally Posted by fotographer
What has become of basic human nature... I dont understand why he felt his actions would lead to nothing but trouble for himself.. did he think the pilots would not notice something was wrong.
I hope he gets a lot of time to think about his actions while he is sitting in jail.
Indicative of the mentality of much of AA labor, going back to the Crandall era, why issues are never settled..
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Old Sep 6, 2019, 6:38 pm
  #78  
 
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I'd imagine that AA's legal team is going to have a field day with this one in their efforts to extract compensation from the TWU. Show the video declaring that “the bloodiest, ugliest battle that the United States labor movement ever saw.” is coming, followed by video of this guy sabotaging the plane. Its also crazy that a guy whose 60, making relatively decent money with 31 years tenure would throw everything away for a couple hours of overtime. The charge comes with up to 20 years, likely he'd get less than that but still means he's looking at spending a good percentage of the rest of his years in prison...all for some overtime.
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Old Sep 6, 2019, 8:43 pm
  #79  
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To me, what this guy did is attempted murder, plain and simple.


Originally Posted by J S
I do not see how you can absolve the airline whose systems of deciding who should have access to an airplane clearly failed.
You can do that only if you blame every employer in workplace shootings by employees.
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Last edited by Dr. HFH; Sep 7, 2019 at 6:38 pm
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Old Sep 6, 2019, 9:14 pm
  #80  
 
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Originally Posted by ryan182
Its also crazy that a guy whose 60, making relatively decent money with 31 years tenure would throw everything away for a couple hours of overtime. The charge comes with up to 20 years, likely he'd get less than that but still means he's looking at spending a good percentage of the rest of his years in prison...all for some overtime.
I disagree with the suggestion that this is more crazy than if he were younger. He'd be making that decent money for how much longer at this point? Most of his prime years of earning, family life, and good health are behind him. I think most people would prefer to spend their 60s and 70s in prison rather than say their 30s and 40s. If you want to commit a major crime, arguably the best time to do so is the day before you die.
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Old Sep 6, 2019, 9:26 pm
  #81  
 
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Originally Posted by FlyingEgghead
I disagree with the suggestion that this is more crazy than if he were younger. He'd be making that decent money for how much longer at this point? Most of his prime years of earning, family life, and good health are behind him. I think most people would prefer to spend their 60s and 70s in prison rather than say their 30s and 40s. If you want to commit a major crime, arguably the best time to do so is the day before you die.
Well first off I'd suggest that the best time to spend years in prison is never, 30s or 40s vs 60s and 70s - yeah I suppose you can say he had a family etc but when I retire I want to be on a beach enjoying time with my family rather than in a box eating prison food, YMMV.

That said my point about his age was less about which decade of ones life is better or worse to spend in prison and more that I'd expect that by that age you have developed enough life experience and wisdom to know better than to do something like this.
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Old Sep 6, 2019, 9:48 pm
  #82  
 
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They say the Joint is not all that bad, it is hell to have to put up with the inmates.

Who would want to listen to a bunch of idiots 24/7,

The older you get, The joints hurts more when you move,,
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Old Sep 6, 2019, 10:53 pm
  #83  
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Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
AFAIK when pilots are first taught to fly small planes, they're taught/required to always do this.
Really? Disconnect cabling or pneumatic lines and assuring they’re clear, then reconnecting them without supervision of a licensed A&P and properly logged? I have no recall of that part at all, on any kind of aircraft.

I don’t think we have to worry about this clown working on an aircraft again, even if due process takes time en route to a lengthy stay highlighting three hots and a cot. Or maybe two hots, a cold one and a cot.
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Old Sep 6, 2019, 10:53 pm
  #84  
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Originally Posted by sbrower
If you read the WHOLE article (which I am sure you did before you linked, but which others might not) you will find the following:
.
After his arrest Thursday, the affidavit says that Alani told federal air marshals assigned to the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force that “his intention was not to cause harm to the aircraft or its passengers.”

He said that his motive in tampering with the navigational system was because he was “upset” over stalled contract negotiations between the mechanics’ union and American Airlines that has raged for months — that “the dispute had affected him financially.”

He further said he only tampered with the plane’s air data module “in order to cause a delay or have the flight canceled in anticipation of obtaining overtime work,” according to the affidavit.
Well, OK then. That obviously makes everything better.

Said no one ever.
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Old Sep 6, 2019, 11:12 pm
  #85  
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Originally Posted by J S
However, American needs to come up with a way of ensuring that people like this (i.e., willing to tamper with critical safety equipment) don't have the opportunity to put passengers and crew in danger. I am not saying it is simple, but it is morally--and possibly legally--required.
The only way to do this would be to forbid anyone to ever work on an airplane, as we now know that even a 30-year experienced veteran can somehow snap between work shifts. "People like this" can be anyone.
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Old Sep 6, 2019, 11:15 pm
  #86  
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Originally Posted by JDiver
Fortunately, the pilots detected the anomaly upon initiation of their takeoff roll, aborted and reported.
According to the surprisingly detailed analysis in the USAToday (you don't expect this from the McPaper):

10:30 a.m.: American Airlines flight 2834 from Miami to Nassau, Bahamas, leaves the gate. Error messages appear in the flight deck of the Boeing 737-800 before it gets to the departure runway. Takeoff is aborted.
OMAAT also says
As the pilots powered up the plane’s engines they received an error message, so they ended up returning to the gate so that the plane could be taken out of service.

Last edited by CPRich; Sep 6, 2019 at 11:30 pm
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Old Sep 6, 2019, 11:17 pm
  #87  
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Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
AFAIK when pilots are first taught to fly small planes, they're taught/required to always do this.
Get a commercial pilot to tell me that his/her standard pre-flight walk-around includes climbing into the interior nose of the aircraft and searching each individual sensor and data transmission pathway for damage and I'll eat my hat.
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Old Sep 7, 2019, 1:09 am
  #88  
 
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Ah, makes it easier for me. I already choose Delta over AA if they each have a connection. Now I know to choose Delta over AA even if the Delta flight has a connection.
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Old Sep 7, 2019, 6:52 am
  #89  
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Originally Posted by JDiver
Really? Disconnect cabling or pneumatic lines and assuring they’re clear, then reconnecting them without supervision of a licensed A&P and properly logged? I have no recall of that part at all, on any kind of aircraft.

I don’t think we have to worry about this clown working on an aircraft again, even if due process takes time en route to a lengthy stay highlighting three hots and a cot. Or maybe two hots, a cold one and a cot.
HUH? Where did I suggest that a pilot should mess around with cable connections? I'm talking about walking around the plane to make a quick visual inspection of its exterior. It's similar to the way I was taught to walk around my car to quickly see whether all four tires appear to be properly inflated before getting in and driving off (but I don't always do this unless I want to make sure that the valet parker didn't damage my vehicle).
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Old Sep 7, 2019, 6:54 am
  #90  
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Originally Posted by CPRich
Get a commercial pilot to tell me that his/her standard pre-flight walk-around includes climbing into the interior nose of the aircraft and searching each individual sensor and data transmission pathway for damage and I'll eat my hat.
HUH? I didn't say anything about climbing into the nose, just walking around the aircraft and quickly looking at its exterior to check for obvious signs of damage.
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