NEWSROOM
|
|
NEWSROOM |
|
|
|
|
|||
|
By Mike Mitchell (Update) |
||||
 |
January 12, 2010 -
A criminal
complaint has been filed against Joseph Hedlund Johnson, 56, of
The crime of
interference with the performance and duties of a flight crew member or
attendant carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000
fine. |
|||
|
It is further alleged that a short time later, Johnson handed a
comment card to a flight attendant, who then gave the comment card
to the lead flight attendant. Government documents say the lead
flight attendant then gave the comment card to the Captain of
Hawaiian Airlines flight 39. It is alleged that portions of the note
contain language that includes “I thought I was going to die,” “I
hope we don’t crash and burn,” and “what if the plane ripped apart
in mid-flight and we plumited (sic) to earth…”
The Captain read the card and locked the flight deck
as a precaution. He told investigators he felt threatened by the
contents of the card, especially when he considered Johnson’s earlier
suspicious behavior with his bag. After speaking with the flight crew
about the incident, the Captain decided to declare an emergency and
return the aircraft to
Two Oregon Air National Guard F-15 Eagles, under the direction of North
American Aerospace Defense Command, scrambled on Wednesday when the
pilot of a commercial airliner reported having a disruptive passenger on
board. The F-15s, stationed at Portland Air National Guard Base, piloted
by Air Guardsmen assigned to the 142nd Fighter Wing in |
||||
|
Lt. Col. Mark
Dunham, one of the F-15 pilots who shadowed the airliner back to the
airport, said the event was a textbook example of what effective
communication can accomplish. "Once we were airborne, the coordination
between WADS, air traffic control and the FAA was stellar," he said.
"Everybody did exactly what they were supposed to do, and it made our
job easy."
"Although we didn't know exactly what kind of disruption was happening
aboard the airliner, we made our decision to launch jets based on the
information we were receiving from the Federal Aviation Administration,"
said Col. Eric Vogt, WADS director of operations. "It's always better to
err on the side of caution by scrambling fighters and take any air
threat seriously."
The Oregon Air National Guard's 142nd Fighter Wing Airmen are assigned
the air sovereignty alert mission and guard the Pacific Northwest sky
from northern
A component of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, the
Continental U.S. NORAD Region directs air sovereignty activities for the
continental "The (aircrews) from the 142nd FW performed magnificently as one of the premier air sovereignty alert sites in our nation," said Maj. Gen. Garry Dean, CONR commander. "Their ability to respond in near-record time to a potential threat in our skies demonstrates the dedication, professionalism and agility of these highly trained aviators." |
| ©AvStop Online Magazine Contact Us Return To News |
|
