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Investigators Question Attendant's Tale
WSJ ^ | Augusst 13th 2010 | SEAN GARDINER And TAMER EL-GHOBASHY

Posted on 08/13/2010 2:45:55 AM PDT by Cardhu

Investigators probing the circumstances surrounding a JetBlue flight attendant's outburst and exit from a plane at Kennedy Airport are beginning to question the narrative that he was provoked by an injury suffered during a confrontation with an unruly passenger, according to Port Authority officials with knowledge of the investigation.

The officials said Steven Slater's assertion that he was hit in the head by luggage or an overhead bin door while trying to assist an abusive passenger with her oversize bag isn't being corroborated by other passengers. Investigators believe such a passenger may not exist and that he could have received the gash on his forehead before he boarded the flight in Pittsburgh.

"There's certainly a decent amount of doubt at this point," said a Port Authority official familiar with the investigation.

JetBlue is also in the dark. The Wall Street Journal reviewed a memo to employees that says, "Was there an altercation on the flight that precipitated or motivated Mr. Slater's action? It's unclear."

Port Authority police have been interviewing passengers since the incident Monday when Mr. Slater delivered an expletive-laced resignation from his job on the flight's public-address system before leaving the jet on the inflatable emergency chute in the back of the plane, officials said. So far, none of the passengers interviewed told police that they witnessed Mr. Slater being injured, said a law-enforcement official with knowledge of the case.

A JetBlue flight attendant activated an emergency slide after a confrontation with a passenger on a plane, grabbed cans of beer from the aircraft's galley and slid down the chute before taking off in his car. Video courtesy of Fox News. ."I think this is moving toward a working theory of it never happened," he said

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: chute; flightattendent; jetblue
"Mr. Turman suggested Mr. Slater was seeking a plea bargain and said he has had "preliminary discussions" with the Queens District Attorney's office."
1 posted on 08/13/2010 2:46:00 AM PDT by Cardhu
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To: Cardhu
Investigators believe such a passenger may not exist and that he could have received the gash on his forehead before he boarded the flight in Pittsburgh.

Considering there has been at least one passenger that mentioned that he didn't bandage the gash throughout the flight, I'd say that's a distinct possibility! LOL

2 posted on 08/13/2010 3:08:04 AM PDT by Gondring (Paul Revere would have been flamed as a naysayer troll and told to go back to Boston.)
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To: Cardhu

The dude is media whore.
Amongst the other types of whoredom he practices.


3 posted on 08/13/2010 3:11:50 AM PDT by djf (They ain't "immigrants". They're "CRIMMIGRANTS"!!!!)
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To: Cardhu
Passenger: Attendant Started Fray :
Ms. Briskin said the seemingly normal conversation turned unexpectedly nasty when Mr. Slater blurted out an expletive to the passenger.

"I didn't think she was rude in the least," said Ms. Briskin, who was visiting the city for the first time. "It really blew my mind. It was so inappropriate."

Ms. Briskin said Mr. Slater sported a "nice gash" on his head for most of the flight, during which there were no problems until the end, when she said Mr. Slater began methodically opening the overhead bins and then slamming them shut.

"He looked disturbed at that point," she said.

4 posted on 08/13/2010 3:11:57 AM PDT by Gondring (Paul Revere would have been flamed as a naysayer troll and told to go back to Boston.)
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To: djf
Another passenger description:
Ms. Dominijanni, of Pittsburgh, said that when she pointed to the spilled coffee, Mr. Slater barked, "No! Maybe when we get in the air! I need to take care of myself first, honey!" She said he was pointing to the gash on his head.
There are at least three passengers who have reportedly seen the injury prior to the supposed incident.
5 posted on 08/13/2010 3:15:46 AM PDT by Gondring (Paul Revere would have been flamed as a naysayer troll and told to go back to Boston.)
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To: Gondring

Based on several passenger comments...I’d say that Slater was doped up on some upper toward the end of the flight. The random act of pushing the door open and deploying the chute? It’s NOT the actions of hostile guy...it’s a doped-up reaction.


6 posted on 08/13/2010 3:17:21 AM PDT by pepsionice
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To: pepsionice

“it’s a doped-up reaction.”

Couldn’t he just have had PMS?


7 posted on 08/13/2010 3:20:16 AM PDT by DrC
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To: Gondring; djf; pepsionice; DrC

I believe the passengers, this guy is apparently unstable.


8 posted on 08/13/2010 3:36:23 AM PDT by Cardhu
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To: Cardhu

Well, setting off the slide is the equivalent of yelling “Fire” in a crowded theatre. There was obviously no emergency that would justify it.
So he either did it just because he’s a whack job, or he did it for attention.

And as much as he’s been kissing up to the cameras, I think we all know which it was.

In which case he should get his butt kicked, not kissed.


9 posted on 08/13/2010 3:41:43 AM PDT by djf (They ain't "immigrants". They're "CRIMMIGRANTS"!!!!)
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To: Cardhu

He’s a bloody fag and acted like one they always think the world is owned by them.


10 posted on 08/13/2010 3:53:02 AM PDT by Vaduz
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To: Cardhu

“...I believe the passengers, this guy is apparently unstable...”

All queers are mentally unstable. Stop and think about it...a person who goes through the same sex act with a man as he would with a woman, but (no pun intended) in a different place. Does that sound “stable?”


11 posted on 08/13/2010 4:22:06 AM PDT by DH (The government writes no bill that does not line the pockets of special interests.)
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To: Cardhu

he should never be in a position of flight management again - in fact - he should be on the no fly list


12 posted on 08/13/2010 4:34:55 AM PDT by Revelation 911 (How many 100's of 1000's of our servicemen died so we would never bow to a king?" -freeper pnh102)
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To: Cardhu

he should never be in a position of flight management again - in fact - he should be on the no fly list


13 posted on 08/13/2010 4:35:11 AM PDT by Revelation 911 (How many 100's of 1000's of our servicemen died so we would never bow to a king?" -freeper pnh102)
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To: Cardhu
"There's certainly a decent amount of doubt at this point," said a Port Authority official familiar with the investigation.

Lol. Translation: We don't know what the hell is going on right now.

14 posted on 08/13/2010 5:04:39 AM PDT by dware (3 prohibited topics in mixed company: politics, religion and operating systems...)
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To: Cardhu

For Consideration:

According to witnesses, Slater may have been drinking prior to the “incident.”

Multiple, unrelated passengers aver that Slater was outrageously rude to a number of customers. In fact, they totally dispute his version of events.

The baggage “incident” may not have even occurred.

Slater has affirmed the worst narcissistic stereotypes of a gay “drama queen” by his actions that day and since.

Jet Blue engaged in stone-walling the authorities in a classic CYA posture.

Unstable flight crew members are not what one wants to see when emergencies arise.

Deploying aircraft emergency equipment and procedures under the flaky rationale claimed by Slater is totally unacceptable and illegal.

This guy is a jerk who deserves to be fired and face criminal sanctions. He’s definitely not a hero of any type.


15 posted on 08/13/2010 6:55:02 AM PDT by CharlesThe Hammer
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