The lack of communication led the Airbus to be escorted by F16s to “establish visual contact with the crew.”

On landing at Schiphol, the plane was isolated more than a mile from the terminal, with medical and security teams on hand, and a bus to transport passengers to the airport. Schiphol had already been evacuated after a World War II bomb which had been uncovered was scheduled for removal.

The post Vueling F16 escort in Holland first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

What: US Airways B767 from Paris to Charlotte
Where: Bangor Maine
When: May 22, 2012
Who: 179 passengers, 9 crew
Why: Around noon, Two F-15 fighter jets scrambled to intercept a US Airways plane where a French woman from Cameroon had handed a note to a flight attendant claiming that she had a surgically implanted bomb. She was traveling alone and had no baggage.

The flight which made a safe landing in Maine.

The flight was interrupted for three hours when passengers were evacuated, and federal customs agents escorted the woman off the plane in handcuffs. The plane was examined and reboarded.

A passenger said the crew initially blamed the unexpected landing on fuel and weather issues.

The post Unstable Passenger Claims Bomb Implant first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

What: United Airlines Boeing 767 en route from Chantilly Virginia to Ghana
Where: en route
When: May 29 , 2011
Who: 144 passengers
Why: After passenger one reclined his seat into passenger two’s lap, passenger two objected
and slapped passenger one in the head. Apparently passenger one retaliated. This escalated into a fight, which had to be broken up by passenger 3 and a flight attendant.

The fight that erupted between passengers resulted in a fighter escort from Andrews Air Force Base being sent in to shadow the flight on its return/diversion to Washington.

No one was arrested and no charges were filed, but police did meet the UA flight on its arrival. The flight was delayed for eighteen hours.

The post On Board Fisticuffs over Washington DC first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

What: Spanair Airbus A320-200 en route from Barcelona to Stockholm
Where: Belgium
When: May 20th 2011
Why: While over Belgium, radio communication was disrupted. (This occurred during the handover to Dutch ATC.)

A Dutch escort was sent (2 F-16s) to intercept.

The Spanair pilots re-established contact, and were escorted into German airspace. The plane landed on schedule in Stockholm.

The post Belgium: Spanair Airbus Lost Communication first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

What: Brazilian F-5M fighter
Where: military base in southern Brazil
When: September 6, 2010 8:45 a.m.
Why: During routine operations, a metal panel from the F-5M fell from the fighter on to a street in downtown Cachoeirinha. It struck the pavement at a high rate of speed, bounced and sent shards of metal flying. No one was injured.

The post Brazil: F-5M Falling Parts first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

Navarro was released.

George’s Point of View

Let’s look at the predecessors to this event.

-911
-Banker Marcus Schrenker faking his death in a plane
-semi-suicidal Turkish Canadian Adam Dylan Leon flying from Canada to the US
-Brazilian father who abducted his 5 year old daughter and flew his stolen plane into a mall

I’m not saying these events are directly linked. I’m just saying that the rate of air events of this nature is disturbingly frequent. Our brave, free-minded and patient fighter pilots who pursue flying fools can only keep their finger off the button for so long. Kamakaze-minded idiots keep testing the waters, doing stupid things and putting themselves and others in danger

On the day we ever inch closer to war, there will not be a US resident who will blame the soldier for pushing the button the next time someone forgets to turn on their radio.

Ricky Navarro, if you’re going to be that negligent–rookie mistake or not–you don’t need to be flying. The cockpit is no place for carelessness.

The post Carelessness Begats F-15 Escort first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.