JetBlue Flight 191 was a scheduled domestic commercial passenger flight from New York to Las Vegas, United States. On March 27, 2012, the Airbus A320 serving the route diverted to Amarillo, Texas, after the captain, suffering from an apparent mental breakdown, started behaving erratically and making disturbing and incoherent statements, leading to the first officer tricking him into entering the cabin where he was restrained by staff and passengers. There were no fatalities.[1][2]
.jpg) N796JB, the aircraft involved, one year after the incident | |
| Incident | |
|---|---|
| Date | March 27, 2012 |
| Summary | In-flight crew incident followed by aircraft diversion |
| Site | Near Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport, Amarillo, Texas, United States 35°13′44″N 101°42′25″W / 35.229°N 101.707°W |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Airbus A320-232 |
| Aircraft name | 100% Blue |
| Operator | JetBlue |
| IATA flight No. | B6191 |
| ICAO flight No. | JBU191 |
| Call sign | JETBLUE 191 |
| Registration | N796JB |
| Flight origin | John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York City, New York, United States |
| Destination | McCarran International Airport, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States |
| Occupants | 135 |
| Passengers | 129 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Survivors | 135 |
Incident
editJetBlue Flight 191 had departed John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City and was en route to McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas when Captain Clayton Osbon (49) started acting erratically and ranting about terrorists and the September 11 attacks, apparently suffering from an unspecified mental breakdown. First Officer Jason Dowd (41) grew concerned when Osbon made comments such as "We need to take a leap of faith", "We're not going to Vegas", and "I can't be held responsible when this plane crashes." Osbon began giving what the first officer described as a sermon.
Realizing Osbon was unfit for duty, Dowd tricked him into going to the passenger compartment, then locked the cockpit door and changed the security code. Osbon, agitated that he was no longer able to enter the cockpit, rushed at the cockpit door in a rage and railed at passengers about Jesus, Al-Qaeda, countries in the Middle East, and a possible bomb on board. Alarmed staff and passengers tackled him and tied him up with seat belt extenders.
An off-duty JetBlue pilot who was travelling as a passenger joined Dowd in the cockpit,[3] and the plane landed about 20 minutes later at Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport in Amarillo, Texas.[4] Osbon received medical treatment from Northwest Texas Healthcare System.[5] He was arrested and charged with "interference with a flight crew."[3][6][7]
The 49-year-old[8] Osbon was suspended from work after being with JetBlue for 12 years.[5] He had attended Carnegie Mellon University and graduated in 1987 from Nathaniel Hawthorne College,[8] an aeronautics and aviation college located in New Hampshire.[9][10][11]
Trial and lawsuits
editOn Tuesday, July 3, 2012, Osbon was found not guilty by reason of insanity of the charge of interference with the flight crew by an Amarillo, Texas-based federal judge, Judge Mary Lou Robinson. Osbon was then ordered to be held pending a further investigation; he was then immediately transferred to a mental health facility in Fort Worth for additional treatment.[12]
After Osbon was evaluated in a federal mental health facility in North Carolina, on November 9, 2012, U.S. District Judge Robinson freed him under the provisions that he continue mental health treatment, follow a prescribed medication regime, and meet a variety of other conditions. Osbon must continue to be monitored by his probation officer for an undetermined amount of time. "This is a bad situation for you and your family, but you are very fortunate to have the type of immediate support you have," Robinson said. "Good Luck, Mr. Osbon."[13]
In March 2015, Osbon filed a suit against JetBlue for $14.9 million, claiming that the airline did not ensure he was fit to fly, and endangered the lives of the crew and the passengers.[14] The suit was filed three days after the Germanwings Flight 9525 crash, in which the co-pilot deliberately crashed the plane killing all the people aboard. The passenger suit was settled the following month; terms of the settlement were not disclosed to the public.[15]
Causes of illness
editThe cause of Osbon's mental breakdown remains unknown. Possibilities suggested included the onset of a psychotic disorder, a neurological event that compromised his brain function, or intoxication due to medication.[16] In his March 2015 lawsuit against JetBlue, Osbon claimed the incident was caused by a complex partial brain seizure.[17]
In popular culture
editThe incident was featured in an episode during season 2 of World's Worst Flights.[citation needed]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "JetBlue pilot Clayton Osbon charged over flight chaos". BBC. March 28, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
- ^ JetBlue plane in emergency landing after captain's apparent breakdown
- ^ a b FBI — JetBlue Pilot Charged with Interference with a Flight Crew
- ^ "JetBlue pilot's unraveling baffles friends". March 29, 2012. Archived from the original on April 25, 2012.
- ^ a b MacLaggan, Corrie (April 2, 2012). "JetBlue pilot's wife says husband 'not intentionally violent'". Reuters. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
- ^ Osbon Complaint Affidavit
- ^ Nicas, Jack; Pasztor, Andy (March 28, 2012). "JetBlue Captain's 'Medical Situation' Diverts Flight". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
- ^ a b "Pilot soon gave signs of trouble". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. March 29, 2012. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
- ^ "Home". Hawthornecollege.tripod.com. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ^ "YouTube". YouTube.
- ^ Nathaniel Hawthorne College Archived July 7, 2012, at archive.today at Closed Colleges
- ^ "Unruly JetBlue pilot found not guilty by reason of insanity". CNN. July 4, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ^ "Judge frees Richmond Hill JetBlue pilot who disrupted flight". savannahnow.com. November 9, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ^ "JetBlue Pilot Who Caused Flight Diversion Sues Airline". The Guardian. March 27, 2015. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
- ^ "JetBlue settles pilot meltdown lawsuit". Amarillo Globe News. June 13, 2013. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
- ^ CBS News (March 29, 2012), CBS This Morning - What happened to JetBlue pilot Clayton Osbon?, retrieved June 9, 2016
- ^ "Judge orders release of documents in JetBlue case". Amarillo Globe-News. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
