Passenger threatens pilot during flight to Yellowknife

[Donald]

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/20 ... plane.html

Unruly N.W.T. flight passenger arrested for punching pilot

A passenger who punched the pilot aboard a Summit Air flight from Fort Simpson, N.W.T., to Yellowknife Thursday was arrested shortly after the plane touched down.

Yellowknife RCMP and airport officials said the man apparently became drunk while on Summit Air flight 153 Thursday evening, and caused a disturbance as the pilot was preparing to land at the Yellowknife airport.

"The passenger was not intoxicated when he boarded the aircraft in Fort Simpson, but there was an empty liquor bottle at his seat when the aircraft landed. So the passenger, during the flight, was drinking," Yellowknife airport manager Steve Loutitt told CBC News on Friday.

"During that time, in addition to being disruptive, he uttered threats to the pilot as well. So it was quite alarming, and obviously it's quite a scary incident for the passenger and crew."

The man's name was not released Friday. A total of nine passengers and two crew members were on board the flight at the time of the incident.

With about 15 minutes left in the flight, the man approached the open cockpit, hit the pilot in the arm and started pulling on the pilot's flight suit.

RCMP said another passenger eventually calmed the man down and brought him back to his seat before the plane landed safely.

RCMP and airport staff met the plane when it landed, and officers arrested the man.

Police said no charges have been laid but the investigation continues.

The federal Transportation Safety Board has been informed of the incident.

[Galaxy]

F'n retard! I hope the other pilot knocked him on his drunk ass.

Does Summit do scheds now or would this be a charter?

[flying4dollars]

I heard of a story of a couple drunk passengers who started fighting on a flight once somewhere in the north. Pilots put masks on and dumped the cabin...pax passed right out.

Not sure about the truth or accuracy, but I have heard it from a few people without the story changing much.

[C-FABH]

Guess the airport security up north isn't tight enough. Hope the CATSA folks in YZF and YFB make a lesson out of this!

[NJ]

Summit doesn't have a flight 153 to Simpson, but First Air does. Maybe the ATR went mechanical and they chartered a doorknob for the flight.

[just curious]

He probably just didn't want to go through YZF security.

[sky's the limit]

All kidding aside, if someone was taking me to Yellowknife in November, I'd probably hit them too.....

Glad it was nothing worse than a good story to tell the Grandkids one day.

stl

[iflyforpie]

If it was one pilot it was probably a Skyvan. No cockpit door but a nice big one at the back.

[b1ngnx33]

"Dumping the cabin". Heh heh. I assume you mean depressurization.

I like that expression.

As for the px being an asshole, being arrested is a very nice way of handling it.

[rigpiggy]

Actually TPA on the wetcoast was good for that about once a season. Dump the cabin , F/O would go back and deal with it. God I miss the old days.

[timer]

This post reminds me of my short lived time flying out of Tulita and doing the booze cruise to Norman Wells, anyone who has done that will know what I'm talking about.

[DA900]

That's not so bad. My buddy use to fly air taxi up and down the Mackenzie in a single engine Cessna years ago. A guy from the back seat pulls a knife on him because he would not land at Wrigley because of fog. The two other guys on board who were friends of the guy with the knife grab him and choke him till he passed out (most likely due to his intoxication) Once they landed in Ft. Simpson they kicked the shit out of their "buddy" and left him at the apron.

I asked my friend what did he do after that. "Nothing" he said "I started the engine at headed back to Norman Wells"

I tell you there is nothing like building hours in the north....

[Redneck_pilot86]

Summit doesn't have a sched into YFS, but they were in about the time the FA sched should have been. It was a Dornier, FUCN I think was the reg.

[Donald]

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/20 ... light.html

Summit Air reviews security after passenger disturbance

An airline in the Northwest Territories says it's reviewing security procedures after an intoxicated passenger caused a commotion aboard one of its flights late last week.

Yellowknife RCMP arrested the male passenger, who was apparently drunk, shortly after Summit Air flight 153 from Fort Simpson, N.W.T., landed safely at the local airport Thursday evening. The man's name was not released.

About 15 minutes before the plane was supposed to land, a man approached the open cabin and started hitting the pilot in the arm and pulling at his jumpsuit, police and airport officials have said.

The man finally sat down after the pilot yelled at him and another passenger intervened. But once the aircraft landed, he got up again and tried to open the emergency exit while the plane was still in motion.

Steve Tanton, Summit Air's director of operations, told CBC News on Monday that the man was not drunk when he boarded the plane. Staff do not serve liquor on board flights, he added.

Airport officials told CBC News last week that an empty liquor bottle was found at the man's seat.

Tanton said the airline is now considering searching passengers' bags before they board their flights. But whether Summit Air flights would be subject to formal security screening would be up to Transport Canada, he added.

Transportation officials said passengers on small northern flights are the only ones in Canada who don't have to go through security screening. Northern travellers make up about 0.1 per cent of all travellers in the country.

http://www.cjcd.ca/news_nugget.boa?item ... 225144.xml

Rowdy Passenger Grounds Flight


A Summit Air Flight coming in from Fort Simpson yesterday evening had some unexpected excitement on board. President and Chief Pilot for the private company Dave Mathieson says his staff followed guidelines and dealt with the situation professionally. “Thursday night we had an unruly passenger on one of our flights. The crew called the Yellowknife Airport Authority, and was advised the RCMP would be on the runway once they landed.” Transport Canada's Safety Board has been told about the incident. The intoxicated passenger's name has not been released. An investigation by the Yellowknife RCMP continues

[godsrcrazy]

either this guy was on something or drunk before he got on the plane. Unless Fort Simpson got a lot further away then when i lived up there. When i was there it was only 200 and some miles. Thats like just over 1 hr in a door knob.

[Labour Board]

GEORGE SIT THE F*%K DOWN AND SHUT THE F%@K UP!!!!!!
George B is my hero

[NJ]

On the northern unrestricted security flights, do the companies themselves make any sort of security measures, such as checking for alcohol, firearms or other weapons?

[Vortex_driver]

hmmmm NJ.... why are you asking??? planning anything?!!!!! better watch what your saying you'll have the RCMP pretty soon on your door!!!!

[lucky37]

On the northern unrestricted security flights, do the companies themselves make any sort of security measures, such as checking for alcohol, firearms or other weapons?

For sched flights up here we check bags for drugs/alcohol when leaving Yellowknife, and at destination the RCMP are usually waiting to check over the bags again. On the way home it's "get on and let's go".

[jspitfire]

Transportation officials said passengers on small northern flights are the only ones in Canada who don't have to go through security screening. Northern travellers make up about 0.1 per cent of all travellers in the country.

Not true at all. There are tons of airports down south served by scheduled flights that don't require security screening.
The only reason people's bags can be searched for alcohol in the north is because most of the communities flown to are dry.
Since I beleive Ft Simpson is NOT a dry community, it is perfectly fine for a passenger to bring alcohol in his bag. Obviously drinking it in flight is another story.

[lucky37]

Transportation officials said passengers on small northern flights are the only ones in Canada who don't have to go through security screening. Northern travellers make up about 0.1 per cent of all travellers in the country.

Not true at all. There are tons of airports down south served by scheduled flights that don't require security screening.

I was thinking the same thing. There is a lot that the public/news people don't know about aviation.. watching Mayday last night and they stated that since the inception of TCAS there has never been another aircraft mid-air collision in North America... I guess anything smaller than a 705 airliner doesn't count as an aircraft.

[NJ]

hmmmm NJ.... why are you asking??? planning anything?!!!!! better watch what your saying you'll have the RCMP pretty soon on your door!!!!

Well I just happen to think a 6 pack and a flight to Lutsel k'e make a great lunch time flight.

[rigpiggy]

too bad it wasn't bm he'd put his cigarette out in his eyeball.

[ftp]

I didn't know R____ Perdactor was a passenger on his own companies flights.

[Donald]

http://www.cjcd.ca/news_nugget.boa?item ... 454215.xml

Man gets four months in jail for endangering flight


Jan.21, 2010 - An unruly passenger who endangered a flight from Fort Simpson to Yellowknife over a year ago will go to jail.

Stephen Waugh was intoxicated on the Summit Air flight from Fort Simpson to Yellowknife in November 2008, when he struck the co-pilot on the left shoulder and then when the plane landed, tried to open the exit doors.

In territorial court Jan. 20, Judge Robert Gorin gave the 30-year-old single father of three credit for participating in treatment programs to deal with his drinking problem.

Gorin said a jail sentence was necessary to deter others from similar behaviour, pointing out how heavily the people of the Northwest Territories rely on safe air travel.

Gorin gave Waugh four months in jail for breaking the law under Canada's Aeronautics Act, and one year probation, during which time he can't go within 10 metres of an aircraft, except in family emergencies.