Would you help to restrain a possible "terrorist" midflight?

J0hnny

Platinum Member
Jul 2, 2002
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I'm curious. Do you have the strength and courage to do it?

Read what happened just recently on a flight:

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/09/12/flight.disrupted.ap/index.html

Jet passenger tries to open door in midair

CHANTILLY, Virginia (AP) -- A man wearing military fatigues and throwing punches into the air tried to open the exit door of a jet during a cross-country flight on Tuesday night, airline officials and passengers said.

United Airlines Flight 890 from Los Angeles landed as scheduled at Washington Dulles International Airport at 8:35 p.m., said Amy Kudwa, a Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman. No one was injured.

Ken Wolfenberger, of Whittier, California, who was on the flight, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that he helped subdue the unruly passenger. The man wore patches on his fatigues with special forces and jujitsu champion logos, Wolfenberger said.

The man had been acting strangely for about 20 minutes, then sat up, wrapped belts around his hands and threw punches into the air, Wolfenberger said.

Wolfenberger said he heard a flight attendant yell for help and tell the man, "Sir, get your hand off the handle."

"Any time you hear a flight attendant shout 'please help,' you worry that something pretty bad is going to happen," he said.

Wolfenberger said the man was held down and punched by other passengers as he grabbed the man's leg. Air marshals then came and took custody of the man.

The passenger became unruly about 31/2 hours into the flight, said United spokeswoman Megan McCarthy.

"After the passenger was restrained, the pilot decided to land at Dulles," McCarthy said. "It wasn't an emergency landing."

Airport police and FBI agents met the flight and were interviewing the passenger, said FBI spokeswoman Debbie Wierman.

There were 138 passengers and six crew members on board, McCarthy said.

 

Specop 007

Diamond Member
Jan 31, 2005
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Only a chickensh1t coward would sit in a plane and do nothing.
I dont care if it 1 or 100, I dont care if its hands or grenades and guns. I wouldnt sit on the plane and leave my life in the hands of Fate and a bunch of crazies. HELL NO.

So to answer, yes I would act. In this case I might just help said weirdo out the door.....;)
 

mugs

Lifer
Apr 29, 2003
48,920
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Yeah. I don't think another 9/11 type attack will ever be possible again, because there's no way the passengers would allow it unless the hijackers were able to get some big guns on board.

Even then, I think the passengers would look at their options (certain death vs certain death) and pick the one that causes the fewest other deaths.
 

GasX

Lifer
Feb 8, 2001
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Originally posted by: mugsEven then, I think the passengers would look at their options (certain death vs certain death) and pick the one that causes the fewest other deaths.
I think the decision is focused more on "I will probably die. Do I go down fighting or am I too paralyzed with fear?"
 

J0hnny

Platinum Member
Jul 2, 2002
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I wonder what would have happened had the actually managed to open the door midflight. Is it even possible?
 

Maxspeed996

Senior member
Dec 9, 2005
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I agree , I don't think there will be anything like that going down very easily. If I were the air marshall , I'd put his a$$ on the snack cart and wheel his butt up the aisle and let every passenger on the plane get a free shot in the face on him before I pushed him out the door.
 

Maxspeed996

Senior member
Dec 9, 2005
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Originally posted by: J0hnny
I wonder what would have happened had the actually managed to open the door midflight. Is it even possible?

IF he would have managed to get the door open.....he would immediately be sucked out. And the plane would depressurize. Which would cause the oxygen masks to deploy....it would be like sitting in a hurricane for a few minutes until the pressure equalized , and all the loose , and light debris got sucked out....the loss of pressure may make the plane handle a bit crazy , but it should be totally survivable.
 

archiloco

Golden Member
Dec 10, 2004
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i have not been in a situation like this, most likely be just in awe that i am in the situation then act on it
 

Sphexi

Diamond Member
Feb 22, 2005
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If by "restrain" you mean "beat the all living crap out of", then absolutely, yes. Hell, I probably would've gotten right up to him, then pushed his ass out the open door before closing it again.
 
Nov 5, 2001
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Originally posted by: Maxspeed996
Originally posted by: J0hnny
I wonder what would have happened had the actually managed to open the door midflight. Is it even possible?

IF he would have managed to get the door open.....he would immediately be sucked out. And the plane would depressurize. Which would cause the oxygen masks to deploy....it would be like sitting in a hurricane for a few minutes until the pressure equalized , and all the loose , and light debris got sucked out....the loss of pressure may make the plane handle a bit crazy , but it should be totally survivable.


unless by chance potions of the cabin fail similar to the Air Hawaii deal several years ago.

IMO, there should be some sort of telemetry lock on those doors...i.e. they won't opn at altitude or if the plane is moving at high speed
 

sao123

Lifer
May 27, 2002
12,653
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Originally posted by: Specop 007
Only a chickensh1t coward would sit in a plane and do nothing.
I dont care if it 1 or 100, I dont care if its hands or grenades and guns. I wouldnt sit on the plane and leave my life in the hands of Fate and a bunch of crazies. HELL NO.

So to answer, yes I would act. In this case I might just help said weirdo out the door.....;)

as soon as the door opens... you'll either be blown out the door if you're too close, or you'll be suffocated.
 

Mursilis

Diamond Member
Mar 11, 2001
7,756
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In the Washington Post version of that story, they quoted another passenger as saying "The guy took quite a beating!"

:laugh::thumbsup:
 

Demon-Xanth

Lifer
Feb 15, 2000
20,551
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Originally posted by: J0hnny
I wonder what would have happened had the actually managed to open the door midflight. Is it even possible?

The smaller emergency doors are about 2.5 feet by four feet (estimated). That puts them at about 1440 square inches. There's about a 10 PSI difference between the outside and inside of a plane at 30,000 feet. So that's about 7 tons of weight on the door. The larger door, where he most likely was is probably closer to 15 tons of weight.
 

Demon-Xanth

Lifer
Feb 15, 2000
20,551
2
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Originally posted by: MikeyIs4Dcats
unless by chance potions of the cabin fail similar to the Air Hawaii deal several years ago.

IMO, there should be some sort of telemetry lock on those doors...i.e. they won't opn at altitude or if the plane is moving at high speed
In that case a cargo door tore off. But even then, only a flight attendant died, all of the passengers (who had thier seatbelts on at the time) survived.
 

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,484
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If I could conspire effectively enough with surrounding passengers to assist me, most certainly. By myself, probably not. I'm not an overly physically imposing person nor am I anywhere remotely efficient in takedowns or physical assaults.

Strength in numbers.
 

waggy

No Lifer
Dec 14, 2000
68,143
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Originally posted by: vi_edit
If I could conspire effectively enough with surrounding passengers to assist me, most certainly. By myself, probably not. I'm not an overly physically imposing person nor am I anywhere remotely efficient in takedowns or physical assaults.

Strength in numbers.

sure i would try to get others to help. but that would not really matter. i would rather go down fighting then sit and hope for someoen else to do something.
 

Demon-Xanth

Lifer
Feb 15, 2000
20,551
2
81
Originally posted by: vi_edit
If I could conspire effectively enough with surrounding passengers to assist me, most certainly. By myself, probably not. I'm not an overly physically imposing person nor am I anywhere remotely efficient in takedowns or physical assaults.

Strength in numbers.

The reason I said I'd go for it, is that the odds are that if one person goes in swinging others will follow.
 
Nov 5, 2001
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Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
Originally posted by: MikeyIs4Dcats
unless by chance potions of the cabin fail similar to the Air Hawaii deal several years ago.

IMO, there should be some sort of telemetry lock on those doors...i.e. they won't opn at altitude or if the plane is moving at high speed
In that case a cargo door tore off. But even then, only a flight attendant died, all of the passengers (who had thier seatbelts on at the time) survived.

but in these situations, they will be different every time. you never can say how something will fail. given the right circumstances, it could possibly cause a catastrophic failure of the airframe should there by the right conditions
 

Runes911

Golden Member
Dec 6, 2000
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Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
Originally posted by: J0hnny
I wonder what would have happened had the actually managed to open the door midflight. Is it even possible?

The smaller emergency doors are about 2.5 feet by four feet (estimated). That puts them at about 1440 square inches. There's about a 10 PSI difference between the outside and inside of a plane at 30,000 feet. So that's about 7 tons of weight on the door. The larger door, where he most likely was is probably closer to 15 tons of weight.

I'm guessing thats a "no."