Lovesick pilot 'threatened to crash passenger plane after row with girlfriend'

The JetBlue pilot threatened to kill himself 'in spectacular fashion' by crashing his plane following an argument with his flight attendant girlfriend.The incident occurred at Logan Airport in Boston, America. Officials played it down and said the pilot was removed from duty for 'health-related reasons'


A lovesick pilot threatened to crash his plane after a row with his girlfriend, it was claimed yesterday

The distraught JetBlue pilot was held in a crew lounge an hour before takeoff after threatening to kill himself 'in spectacular fashion'.

It was reported on local radio that he had emailed his girlfriend, a flight attendant, saying that if they did not resolve their differences he would crash the plane.



But officials at Logan Airport in Boston in America played this down and said the pilot was removed from duty due to 'health-related reasons'.

An unidentified spokesman said authorities approached the pilot after he sent some type of 'electronic communication’ to the woman but would not comment further on the nature of the message.

The pilot was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital for an evaluation and was not under arrest.

The incident happened on Thursday in the middle of the afternoon.
Logan Airport's Federal Security Director George Naccara said the pilot did 'exchange emails with another person and we were alerted through various sources,' but he denied the pilot threatened to crash his flight.

'He never threatened crashing the aircraft. It was a situation in which he was threatening to take his own life and, in fact, his words were he may do it in 'some spectacular fashion' but not anything to do with the aircraft and no reference to crashing the aircraft or harming anyone else other than himself,' he said.

'Actions were taken immediately and the situation was diffused very effectively.

'Never was anyone in any kind of jeopardy. This was very much an isolated case, certainly not related to any type of terrorism.'

A JetBlue spokesman dismissed news reports that the pilot had threatened to crash the plane as 'vicious rumor and speculation.'

'A JetBlue pilot was removed from duty in Boston for health-related reasons,' the airline said in a statement. 'At no point were any customers or aircraft in danger.'

A spokesman added: 'The pilot was in a non-public area of the airport when he was taken into custody. He was not on a plane.

'We are not disclosing details of his schedule or whether he was going to board a plane.'

He refused to say where the plane was going, although JetBlue only flies within the U.S. or to the Caribbean from Boston.