POLICE ARREST AMERICAN AIRLINES MECHANIC WHO SABOTAGED FLIGHT FOR OVERTIME
So much for feeling safe after you get thru the security gate. A mechanic working for American Airlines literally sabotaged a passenger jet just before takeoff. But why? Because he wanted the overtime and the extra money. Yeah, that’s pretty ugly stuff. Especially since we’ve had so much news about flawed brand new jets this past year. But police arrested the mechanic, Abdul-Majeed Marouf Ahmed Alani. And considering how xenophobic we are these days about names like that, I’m guessing this guy is gonna get some real jail time. But regardless of his name, he should.
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AA MECHANIC’S SABOTAGE CANCELS FLIGHT WITH 150 PASSENGERS HEADING TO BAHAMAS
This overtime sabotage gambit happened back on July 17th, when Alani intentionally crippled the navigation system on Miami flight 2834, headed to Nassau, Bahamas. The flight had 150 passengers on board, as well as the usual complement of flight staff. The pilots were preparing for takeoff as normal. But then they saw an error light flashing. So the flight was cancelled and they took the plane back to the terminal. But when another mechanic did a routine maintenance check, they found that someone (Alani) had blocked a tube under the cockpit with a piece of hard foam.
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HOW COULD THIS MECHANIC THINK HE COULD GET AWAY WITH THIS?
So as you can imagine, that isn’t a normal problem. Alani used glue to secure the foam to block the tube. That foam block prevented the pilots from having access to all the air data, like speed and the like. Essentially, the pilots would have to fly the plane completely manually the entire distance. And no, these passenger planes are not manual rigs, by any shape or form. After his arrest, Alani admitted to the deed. But why did he do it? He says he was struggling for money because contract negotiations with American Airlines and the mechanics’ unions had stalled.
