LOS ANGELES - The airliner circled Southern California for hours, crippled by a faulty landing gear, while inside its cabin 140 passengers watched their own life-and-death drama unfolding on live television.
While satellite TV sets aboard JetBlue Flight 292 were tuned to news broadcasts, some passengers cried. Others tried to telephone relatives and one woman sent a text message to her mother in Florida attempting to comfort her in the event she died.
"It was very weird. It would've been so much calmer without" the televisions, Pia Varma of Los Angeles said after the plane skidded to a safe landing Wednesday evening in a stream of sparks and burning tires. No one was hurt. - Yeah you think? Whose bright idea was that to air "My Near Death Experience by Plane" on the flight's TVs.
Varma, 23, and other passengers said the plane's monitors carried live DirectTV broadcasts on the plane's problems until just a few minutes before landing at Los Angeles International Airport. - We've come this far together, why shut the televisions off now
The landing gear trouble — the front wheels were stuck in a sideways position — was discovered almost immediately after the plane departed Bob Hope Airport in Burbank at 3:17 p.m., en route to New York City.
The Airbus A320 circled the Long Beach Airport, about 30 miles south of Burbank, before being cleared to land at Los Angeles. It stayed in flight for three hours to burn off fuel, said Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Donn Walker.
Zachary Mastoon of New York said it was "surreal" to watch his plane's fate being discussed on live TV while it was in the air. At one point, he said, he tried to call his family, but his cell phone call wouldn't go through. - God why couldn't I be on board this flight watching my near demise broadcaast live so I could in turn sue JetBlue for inflicting undue emotional distress on me?
"I wanted to call my dad to tell him I'm alive so far," the 27-year-old musician said.
The pilot finally brought the plane down, back wheels first. As he slowly lowered the nose gear, the stuck wheels erupted in smoke and flames, which quickly burned out.
"At the end it was the worst because you didn't know if it was going to work, if we would catch fire. It was very scary. Grown men were crying," said Diane Hamilton, 32, a television graphics specialist.
As the plane was about to touch the ground, Hamilton said crew members ordered people to assume a crash position, putting their heads between their knees.
"They would yell, "Brace! Brace! Brace!'" she said. "I thought this would be it."
Lisa Schiff, 34, of Los Angeles sent a text message to her mother in Miami that said: "I love you. Don't worry about me. If something happens, know that I am watching you and Daddy and (her brother) David."
Emergency crews from across the area met the plane on the runway. Spectators gathered on buildings and stood on parked cars to see firsthand as passengers walked down a stairway onto the tarmac with their carryon luggage.
Some passengers shook hands with emergency workers and waved to cameras. One firefighter carrying a boy across the tarmac put his helmet on the child's head. - Not a cheesy photo op. Is this a scene from a movie or what?
"We all cheered. I was bawling. I cried so much," said Christine Lund, 25, who was traveling with her cat. - Mentioning her cat makes me feel far less sympathetic for her. In fact, I feel nothing for her.
She and the other passengers were taken by bus from the tarmac to the airport's international terminal. The plane was towed to a hangar, and the runway where it touched down was closed for about three hours, but no flights were delayed or canceled, officials said.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who spoke with the pilot, identified him as Scott Burke and praised him for the calm he showed during the flight.
"He joked that he was sorry he put the plane down 6 inches off the center line," Villaraigosa said.
Ann Decrozals, an Airbus spokeswoman at the aircraft manufacturer's headquarters in France, said the A320 was designed to be able to land with front wheel problems.
JetBlue spokeswoman Jenny Dervin said the airline was investigating the incident with the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board. She declined to identify the pilot and first officer.
About 57 of the passengers were placed on another flight, which arrived at New York's Kennedy Airport at 6:05 a.m. EDT Thursday, said airline spokeswoman Sharon Jones. Others were put up in Los Angeles area hotels and given reservations for Thursday flights. Still others simply returned home.
Associated Press writer Gillian Flaccus contributed to this story.
Thursday, September 22
Victim or Suspect?
A friend of mine works in the service dept at a car dealership. How 'bout this! This morning she and her co-workers were writing up service tickets for the cars that were left by customers in the early morning drop off area when they stumbled on a note that says (mind you I am paraphrasing): Can you please detail my car? My husband committed suicide in this car and I wasn't able to clean up all of the blood.
Needless to say, everyone was a bit shocked and alarmed. Immediately, someone speculated that the wife may have offed her husband was trying to cover it up (oh wouldn't that be juicy). My friend called the police who are now at the dealership investigating the scene.
Isn't that nuts? I have been alternating between laughing and feeling bad for the woman. I hope she's a victim and not a suspect.
Needless to say, everyone was a bit shocked and alarmed. Immediately, someone speculated that the wife may have offed her husband was trying to cover it up (oh wouldn't that be juicy). My friend called the police who are now at the dealership investigating the scene.
Isn't that nuts? I have been alternating between laughing and feeling bad for the woman. I hope she's a victim and not a suspect.
Wednesday, September 21
Are You Kidding Me?
LOL! I know I am late but no one bothered to share this story with me. I swear there are some ill people in the world.
Unruly Passenger Restrained On Katrina Evacuee Flight
POSTED: 9:59 am EDT September 8, 2005
UPDATED: 3:05 pm EDT September 8, 2005
WEIRD PHOTOS: News Of The Strange SlideshowSIGN UP: Daily News Of The Strange Email
DENVER -- Passengers on a Frontier Airlines plane carrying Hurricane Katrina evacuees from Houston to Denver subdued a man and tied him up with duct tape after he assaulted a flight attendant, police said.
The altercation began Tuesday when Jason Glen Tervort, 26, walked up to the flight attendant in the center aisle and said: "Ladies and gentleman, I have an announcement to make. My name is Jason," according to the federal arrest warrant.
When the flight attendant tried to get Tervort back to his seat, he allegedly poked her while saying, "I'm a man," then began pushing and slapping her.
Jason Tervort
Several men got out of their seats to subdue Tervort, who was spitting, biting and yelling profanities, Denver police spokeswoman Virginia Lopez said Wednesday. The men then used duct tape to tie Tervort's arms and legs to a rail on the seats.
Tervort, who had recently been discharged from the Army, did not appear to be one of the evacuees. It was unclear how many of the men who subdued him were among the evacuees being taken to a shelter in Colorado.
Tervort suffered minor injuries in the incident. Police officers who met the plane at the airport noticed blood on the floor where Tervort had been tied up.
None of the passengers who subdued Tervort will face charges, police said. "They used the amount of force necessary," Lopez said.
Tervort faces a federal charge of interference with flight crew members and attendants.
Frontier Airlines spokesman Joe Hodas said the flight attendant was shaken, but physically unharmed.
Copyright 2005
Unruly Passenger Restrained On Katrina Evacuee Flight
POSTED: 9:59 am EDT September 8, 2005
UPDATED: 3:05 pm EDT September 8, 2005
WEIRD PHOTOS: News Of The Strange SlideshowSIGN UP: Daily News Of The Strange Email
DENVER -- Passengers on a Frontier Airlines plane carrying Hurricane Katrina evacuees from Houston to Denver subdued a man and tied him up with duct tape after he assaulted a flight attendant, police said.
The altercation began Tuesday when Jason Glen Tervort, 26, walked up to the flight attendant in the center aisle and said: "Ladies and gentleman, I have an announcement to make. My name is Jason," according to the federal arrest warrant.
When the flight attendant tried to get Tervort back to his seat, he allegedly poked her while saying, "I'm a man," then began pushing and slapping her.
Jason Tervort
Several men got out of their seats to subdue Tervort, who was spitting, biting and yelling profanities, Denver police spokeswoman Virginia Lopez said Wednesday. The men then used duct tape to tie Tervort's arms and legs to a rail on the seats.
Tervort, who had recently been discharged from the Army, did not appear to be one of the evacuees. It was unclear how many of the men who subdued him were among the evacuees being taken to a shelter in Colorado.
Tervort suffered minor injuries in the incident. Police officers who met the plane at the airport noticed blood on the floor where Tervort had been tied up.
None of the passengers who subdued Tervort will face charges, police said. "They used the amount of force necessary," Lopez said.
Tervort faces a federal charge of interference with flight crew members and attendants.
Frontier Airlines spokesman Joe Hodas said the flight attendant was shaken, but physically unharmed.
Copyright 2005
Tuesday, September 20
What Say You?
Here's the deal, I am having an on-going debate with a buddy of mine about fasting and I'd be interested in knowing a few outside opinions.
Presently, buddy is on a spiritual fast with his church. They are specifically eating fruits and vegetables and foregoing meat. As you know I am vegetarian and buddy has been very cynical and critical of my conversion to vegetarianism. Thus, buddy made it a point to share with me that he might give vegetarinism a try after consuming Gardenburger's Buffalo Chicken Wings because he thought they were really good.
I told buddy I thought he was cheating on his fast. How so? Buddy says. I tell him it seems a bit deceitful to be fasting meat but run out to the store to buy a meatless product that tastes and looks like meat. It's a cunning way of not fasting meat as instructed. Of course he says it's not made of meat; so, you're wrong Shawn I am not cheating.
So I put the question to you: Do you think buddy is cheating on his fast? Yes or no! Explain.
Presently, buddy is on a spiritual fast with his church. They are specifically eating fruits and vegetables and foregoing meat. As you know I am vegetarian and buddy has been very cynical and critical of my conversion to vegetarianism. Thus, buddy made it a point to share with me that he might give vegetarinism a try after consuming Gardenburger's Buffalo Chicken Wings because he thought they were really good.
I told buddy I thought he was cheating on his fast. How so? Buddy says. I tell him it seems a bit deceitful to be fasting meat but run out to the store to buy a meatless product that tastes and looks like meat. It's a cunning way of not fasting meat as instructed. Of course he says it's not made of meat; so, you're wrong Shawn I am not cheating.
So I put the question to you: Do you think buddy is cheating on his fast? Yes or no! Explain.
Monday, September 19
The Gift (Conclusion)
Friend calls the next morning, as promised, sounding pleased as punch with the outcome of the previous day.
After returning home to Hubby with his wine, Hubby incredulously bemoans his wife's efforts to celebrate his birthday. Friend says Hubby goes on a whiny tirade I can't believe you didn't buy me anything for my birthday. You didn't even wish me a Happy Birthday. How could you do this to me? Friend is ever so gracious to remind Hubby Birthdays are between you and your mother. That's your mother's job to celebrate your day not mine. Hubby then expresses sadness because neither his older daughter(6 years old), 2 of his 3 brothers nor his sister called to wish him a Happy Birthday. Friend decides to really be cruel to Hubby. She jokingly says Hubby, are you ready for your real present? His frown quickly turns to a smile, friend says, until he notices her giggling. Realizing friend is joking Hubby quips I know you didn't get me anything. As friend is retiring for bed, friend over hears Hubby complaining to his one brother that did call him about how evil friend treated him on his birthday. Friend laughs inside and goes to bed very satisfied.
After returning home to Hubby with his wine, Hubby incredulously bemoans his wife's efforts to celebrate his birthday. Friend says Hubby goes on a whiny tirade I can't believe you didn't buy me anything for my birthday. You didn't even wish me a Happy Birthday. How could you do this to me? Friend is ever so gracious to remind Hubby Birthdays are between you and your mother. That's your mother's job to celebrate your day not mine. Hubby then expresses sadness because neither his older daughter(6 years old), 2 of his 3 brothers nor his sister called to wish him a Happy Birthday. Friend decides to really be cruel to Hubby. She jokingly says Hubby, are you ready for your real present? His frown quickly turns to a smile, friend says, until he notices her giggling. Realizing friend is joking Hubby quips I know you didn't get me anything. As friend is retiring for bed, friend over hears Hubby complaining to his one brother that did call him about how evil friend treated him on his birthday. Friend laughs inside and goes to bed very satisfied.
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