Of course the useful idiots will say that a single stray bullet would catastrophically depressurize the cabin and cause the airplane to crash.
Really. They think that...
See what a single bullet can do????
Posted on 12/06/2009 11:30:27 AM PST by campfollower
slideshow In the age of balloon boys and party crashers, regular people just don't know what to believe any more.
Last week, I spent more than my share of hours trying to track down the truth about an incident on an AirTran flight out of Atlanta on Nov. 17.
Flight 297 to Houston, with about 70 passengers onboard, departed gate C-16 at 4:43 p.m. Until something happened that caused the pilot to turn around and come back.
Two and a half weeks later, the incident is in high dispute, thanks to some passengers who have spoken out on the Internet about what they say is a cover-up by AirTran and other transportation officials. This has been heating up since Tuesday, when one passenger's e-mail about the events he saw on the plane went viral, and the saga isn't over yet.
Initial media reports from Nov. 18 indicate the cause of the plane's turnaround was a single passenger who refused to turn off an electronic device. Some accounts said cell phone, some said video camera, but the bottom line is the flight crew felt something was amiss enough to turn around after they'd left the gate - no small occurrence.
In the now infamous e-mail (AirTran refers to it on their Web site www.inside airtran.com as "Flight 297 - Anatomy of an Urban Legend") a Texas man writes about an orchestrated attempt by a group of 13 men, which he characterizes as Muslim, to intimidate flight attendants and passengers.
His colorful description of the troublemakers boarding the plane, spreading out to their seats and then being uncooperative and verbally abusive toward flight attendants and other passengers hit my mailbox Tuesday, having been forwarded by the writer's friend, a former Marine and NASA employee, who also included his name, address and phone number.
Even as people scrambled to substantiate the e-mail, Muslim and leftist Web sites began characterizing the writer and anyone who thought it might have merit as "right wing racists." They immediately initiated a campaign to discredit and ridicule the writer, who actually had the audacity to speak boldly about the escalating fear and anger on the flight, though he admitted to me yesterday he'd taken artistic license with a couple points, never imagining it would travel beyond his circle of friends. He's not a journalist, and has no wish to become the next Joe the Plumber, he said.
His account, not intended for publication, focused on Arabic-speaking men using a number of tactics to upset the aircraft, such as taking photos of passengers, getting up and down from their seats at inappropriate times and intimidating others. The e-mail has, unfortunately, overshadowed the real story.
From AirTran, we know that the captain of Flight 297 felt it necessary to turn his plane around after leaving the gate. Once there the troublemakers were removed and questioned in what turned into a two-hour delay. And then, amazingly, all but two were allowed to reboard for the trip to Houston.
What ensued, according to the disputed e-mail as well as a new and highly credible eyewitness, was a small rebellion on board, with crew and at least a dozen passengers refusing to continue the flight.
Meanwhile, another Texas eyewitness, Dr. Keith Robinson, had been scheduled on the flight, but had missed his connection. He told his version of "the obvious commotion" at the gate, and added by phone he had offered his services as an ordained chaplain during the two-hour delay, but was rebuffed by AirTran officials.
"Gate agents expressed solemn concern" after the plane returned, he said, so he knew something was amiss. When the crew and a dozen passengers finally deplaned, some were openly sobbing and "anger and fear were etched on their faces."
Robinson, a good-natured man of God who formerly worked in restorative prosthodontics at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, eventually got on the plane.
"Chaplains are supposed to go where other people don't want to be," he explained. His account, also posted on the Internet, was written during the flight. He told me the Arabic-speaking men were quiet when he was on the flight, but that the tension was palpable. He believes the decision to allow the group back on the plane was based on fear of lawsuits.
"But is it inappropriate for Americans to stand together," he asked me, "draw a line in the sand and say this type of incident will not happen? Don't we have a duty to stand against this kind of intimidation?"
On Friday, AirTran spokesman Christopher White, formerly with the TSA, was snide and rude when I called to inquire about the incident. He refused to answer questions and referred me to the above-mentioned website, which is not an official statement from AirTran but a public rebuking of a customer's circulating e-mail. Note to Chris: putting a customer's writing on your site making him a target for death threats and ridicule seems rather irresponsible for a major airline. I hope someone reviews your qualifications as spokesperson.
Then, Saturday, AirTran went further, posting the assertion that the disputed e-mail writer from Texas, according to "legally binding" flight manifests, wasn't on the plane (just in case any of us believe the "urban legend" he supposedly made up out of thin air to get attention he isn't seeking,,, or something).
The e-mail writer told me today AirTran is lying and he has his boarding pass, but I'm beyond this by now, because I discovered another highly credible eyewitness to the incident was none other than Cobb businessman and security expert Brent C. Brown, CEO of Chesley-Brown International.
Brown, who is also chairman of the Marietta History Museum, confirmed late Saturday that he was on Flight 297 and that there was chaos on the plane. He believes the entire incident was mishandled by AirTran officials, though has kind words for the pilot, who he said, "was dead right" in his decision-making, and is to be commended for turning the plane around.
Seated in the third row in business class, he said it was obvious the suspicious men were interacting with each other and refusing to sit down, grounds for the pilot's decision.
Once back at the gate, however, Brown says there were no law enforcement officials visible (this contradicts the Texan's e-mail) and airline officials weren't talking to the passengers, who were openly upset and refusing to fly.
"The tension on board was incredible," Brown said. The men who came back on board after questioning were belligerent and smirking, and the people who got off, he confirmed, were traumatized.
So the story evolves. And in this age of jihadi Army officers and internet hoaxes, us regular folk continue to seek the truth.
Lbarmstrong3378@comcast.net
~~~Sounding more and more confusing .. PING!
But, another witness has come forward. Something
WAS apparently very amiss on that flight. Why
is AirTran marginalizing everyone ???
They don’t want to lose money and scare their customers away, especially not at this time of the year. And they probably don’t want another “flying imam” lawsuit. Tell you what. SOMETHING is going on with these muslims. They are pulling our strings every chance they get.
This is really a well investigated, rather old story. It’s been on FR in much better detail before. Also, check out the extensive work AJC did on story. Actually, this paper’s details are rather inaccurate. Check it out.
Glad to see you noticed this situation too.
Yes it has been on FR before, did you read this story linked here, http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/17508
Douglas Hagmann stated the following, “As initially stated, proper and accurate investigation takes time to corroborate eyewitness accounts, which are often unreliable, contradictive and in cases like this, colored by emotion.
Having interviewed a total of seven-(7) individuals directly involved in this incident over the last several days, including two law enforcement officers who handled the after action reports, the situation pertaining to the initial 13 and remaining 10 or 11 Muslim men allowed to continue their travels was far greater than an incident involving the unauthorized use of a cell phone that resulted in a minor flight delay, as reported by the mainstream media.”
Seven witnesses corraborating that it was Muslim men and that they were clearly inflicting “physchological terrorism” on the passengers and flight attendants is something to be concerned about.
Another thing, Climategate is rather old too but why are the mainstream news “journalists” just now starting to cover it?
Have you noticed that there are some things the MSM doesn’t want to cover? There are also events that some in Government just “wish would go away.” Unfortunately in this PC world we live in, if we wait for government to take care of us and tell us the truth we will end up in a socialist nightmare, taxed to death or worse yet, dead like the soldiers at Ft Hood.
The government didn’t do a very good job removing the terrorist in their midst now did it?
Oh I dunno.
AirTran is in the business of getting people from point A to point B by stuffing them into pressurized metal tubes and squirting them through the stratosphere without a parachute.
Most people already think it's safer to drive than fly. It isn't.
If that changes to thinking it is more dangerous to fly than drive, they won't fly.
They won't buy AirTran tickets, and AirTran's CEO's children will want for shoes.
If terrorists succeed in instilling fear in people and altering their behavior, they have won. Why should AirTran help them win?
Actually I heard a great marketing idea for commercial airlines the other day, if an airline company stated that they will have armed marshalls on every flight do you think that people would chose to fly with them or the ones that aren’t offering protection for their passengers?
Of course the useful idiots will say that a single stray bullet would catastrophically depressurize the cabin and cause the airplane to crash.
Really. They think that...
See what a single bullet can do????
Schlussel update:
“Why is AirTran Lying About & Attacking Its Customers?: The Answers, Documents AirTran Won’t Provide”
Or better yet, call your local newspaper or Fox News and ask them to look into it...
People should remember that AirTran is the former ValuJet, the airline that crashed a plane in Florida and cost then-Transportation Secretary Federico Pena his job. Pena immediately declared that ValuJet was safe and he'd still fly it. I believe they said the crash was due to shoddy maintenance that was outsourced to locations in Latn America.
AirTrans is no stranger to stonewalling the public.
-PJ
This is a picture of an Aloha Airlines flight that had catastrophic fuselage failure. Aircraft fuselages are constantly being pressurized and depressurized every time they takeoff and fly. These are called cycles. If you take a piece of aluminum and bend it and unbend it over a period of time the metal will fail. This is metal fatigue. The Aloha fleet underwent lots of cycles from the many short hops they made around the islands. Despite the major fuselage failure the aircraft was still flyable and returned to land minus those passengers that neglected to fasten their seatbelts while seated.
Back to the original premise if you took a large bore handgun and fired a shot through the fuselage the air would begin to leak out, not a rapid decompression. If you took out some duct tape and put over the hole the depletion of air would cease. I think most Air Marshalls pack their guns loaded with anti-hijack ammo in the first few rounds. Even if they don't they probably aren't shooting armor piercing rounds so the average terrorist could easily absorb and deplete the energy without any problems. Maybe Myth Busters will do an episode on this one.
Hmmm. I posted the same picture. Does it not show up?
I like your appeal to Mythbusters.
busted
The pressure is not high enough and the hole is too small. Explosive decompression only occurred when a hole the size of a window was made with explosives. Even then, the rush of air could not suck Buster completely out of the hole. Lastly, there are proven instances of explosive decompression where the plane was still able to maintain control and land.
(This myth was revisited in episode 38 and it was re-busted.)
This is certainly not the first instance of a Piglam terrorist dry run.
Anyway, the last plane I ever boarded was in February 2001.
You won’t catch me on a plane, ever again.
Hey, it was a good idea. I thought I remembered having seen it so did a search...
Thank the lord for good columnists like Laura Armstrong! Sounds like she’s an effective warrior trooper on the RIGHT side.
Yes, noxious swede is a troll.
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