JetBlue Flight 191 Diverted After Captain Had Nervous Breakdown

 

 
 
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JetBlue Flight 191 Diverted After Captain Had Nervous Breakdown

By Shane Nolan
 
 

March 29, 2012 - On Tuesday JetBlue Flight 191, a Airbus A320 departed John F. Kennedy Airport at about 7:30 AM with 135 passengers for Las Vegas. About two and a half hours into the flight the pilot in command began to have a nervous breakdown.

The copilot was able to persuade the captain to leave to cockpit, he reported the captain began pressing buttons and banking the aircraft erratically. The copilot suggested to the captain he used the restroom. A deadhead copilot that just happened to be onboard flying as a passenger was escorted into the cockpit to assist the other copilot.  

The FAA said the co-pilot became concerned with the captain's "erratic behavior during the flight" and locked the cockpit door when the captained exited the cockpit. Upon exiting the cockpit the captain began yelling ?there?s a bomb onboard? he repeated threats from Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Tony Antolino an executive for a security firm said the captain screamed "They're going to take us down, they're taking us down, they're going to take us down. Say the Lord's prayer, say the Lord's prayer."

He further stated the captain was running down the walkway of the aircraft to the back of the plane, appeared to be agitated he began yelling about an unspecified threat linked to Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan.

The captained tried to reenter the cockpit by punching in his security code but was unable. He began screaming pull back the throttles we got to get this aircraft down, we got to land this plan at which point he was restrained by the passengers.

 
Antolino and three others passengers wear able to restrain the captain until the aircraft landed. The flight was diverted about 10 AM to Amarillo, Texas. JetBlue said in a statement that the plane was diverted "for a medical situation involving the captain." Authorities report the captain was a veteran and believe he was suffering from posttraumatic stress.   
 
   

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma such as war. This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to one's own or someone else's physical, sexual, or psychological integrity, overwhelming the individual's ability to cope.

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