Passenger Restrained on Plane After Racist Outburst
A C-141B Starlifter aircraft leaves four plumes of exhaust behind it as it prepares for an airdrop during Operation Deep Freeze. Can airlift combat forces, equipment and supplies, and deliver them on the ground or by airdrop, using paratroop doors on each side and a rear loading ramp. It can be used for low-altitude delivery of paratroops and equipment, and high-altitude delivery of paratroops. It can also airdrop equipment and supplies using the container delivery system. It is the first aircraft designed to be compatible with the 463L Material Handling System, which permits off-loading 68,000 pounds (30,600 kilograms) of cargo, refueling and reloading a full load, all in less than an hour. The C-141 has an all-weather landing system, pressurized cabin and crew station. Its cargo compartment can easily be modified to perform around 30 different missions. About 200 troops or 155 fully equipped paratroops can sit in canvas side-facing seats, or 166 troops in rear-facing airline seats. Rollers in the aircraft floor allow quick and easy cargo pallet loading. A palletized lavatory and galley can be installed quickly to accommodate passengers, and when palletized cargo is not being carried, the rollers can be turned over to leave a smooth, flat surface for loading vehicles. In its aeromedical evacuation role, the Starlifter can carry about 103 litter patients, 113 ambulatory patients or a combination of the two. It provides rapid transfer of the sick and wounded from remote areas overseas to hospitals in the United States.
A routine American Airlines flight turned tense on September 3 when a passenger began shouting racist and homophobic abuse mid-flight and struck the person seated next to him, according to a report by the US outlet TMZ.
The flight was traveling from Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport in Texas to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. About two hours after takeoff, the man, who witnesses said appeared to be intoxicated, began yelling at his seatmate about religion, invoking Jesus and warning that the person was headed to hell.
A Black flight attendant approached to try to calm him down, but he responded with discriminatory insults directed at her. Alarmed by the escalating behavior, three other passengers stepped in to confront the man and keep him from causing further harm.
With the situation spiraling, the flight crew handed the passengers duct tape and plastic zip ties, which they used to restrain the man and secure him to his seat for the remainder of the flight, preventing further violence until landing.
American Airlines has not yet issued a detailed public statement on the incident, and it remains unclear whether the passenger will face criminal charges. The story is still developing.
You can read the original report in Spanish at eltiempo.com.
