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Passenger attacks flight crew with axe.

CNN Story

So much for the theory of passengers defending the flight deck.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gofast

So much for the theory of passengers defending the flight deck.

Wrong.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.j...toryID=6366573

Quote:

Passengers said the attacker, in his 30s, stood up without warning just minutes before the plane landed and walked to the open cockpit to attack the pilots. Some passengers screamed in fear but two others managed to overpower him.

"The situation was highly dramatic. The plane was only 100 feet off the ground when the pilots were attacked. They fought off the attacker while trying to gain control over the plane," said police official Margrete Torseter.

. . .

"Suddenly I heard someone cry out: "Come and help," said passenger Irene Lokland, 45. "I thought we were going to die. I was picturing my three children in my mind," she told Norwegian NRK radio.

She said she was one of two passengers who helped hold the attacker down until the flight landed and police dragged him out of the plane.

And this report claims the axe was likely carried, not the crash axe:

Quote:

He had probably carried the axe on board, contrary to earlier information that it was part of the aircraft's emergency equipment, police said.

Also, it seems this plane had no cockpit door (pretty small), which certainly made it easier for the attacker to get to the cockpit crew.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gofast

So much for the theory of passengers defending the flight deck.

uhhh.. This happened in Norway. Nice people there, but this is far from a valid comparison.

Had this happened in Texas it would have been a different outcome.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gofast

CNN Story

So much for the theory of passengers defending the flight deck.

Please see this article.

"Ms Lokland said two male passengers grabbed the attacker, then dragged him out of the cockpit. She said he was shouting and struggling as the plane touched down. The passengers held the man until police boarded and arrested a man in his 30s. He told them he was from Algeria."

The question is how did he get an axe on board, and the likely answer is complete lack of security, based on my limited experience at a small airport in Norway.

Quote:

Originally Posted by WillTravel

The question is how did he get an axe on board, and the likely answer is complete lack of security, based on my limited experience at a small airport in Norway.

Don't intra-Alaska commuter flights still operate without checkpoints? The type of a/c involved in this axe incident was a Do228, which is roughly the same size as the Dash-8s and other smaller prop a/c that run within AK sans security.

Quote:

Originally Posted by WillTravel

The question is how did he get an axe on board, and the likely answer is complete lack of security, based on my limited experience at a small airport in Norway.

The article said the axe was already onboard.. part of the standard emergency equipment

Quote:

Originally Posted by WillTravel

The question is how did he get an axe on board, and the likely answer is complete lack of security, based on my limited experience at a small airport in Norway.

Only 17 of Norway's 46 civil airports have equipment and procedures for weapon checks, though total security measures are planned to be in place by Jan. 1 2005 at the smaller, regional airports. The Civil Aviation Authority had an emergency meeting Thursday to discuss the necessity of immediate measures, such as handheld metal detectors, at regional airports.

Quote:

Originally Posted by WillTravel

and the likely answer is complete lack of security

but.. thats what we all want. right? :D