United Airlines Pilot Arrested for Refusing to Fly to Israel

INN ^ | 6/26/2014, 9:43 AM | Moshe Cohen

[Olog-hai]

A pilot who refused to fly his scheduled United Airlines flight to Israel was arrested—with 300 passengers stuck on the plane for hours while airline officials scrambled to find another pilot.

The United Airlines flight from Newark to Tel Aviv was set to leave early in the week. Usually a non-stop flight, passengers expected to get to their destinations after about 12 hours, but instead were in transit for about 30. Airline personnel refused to let them disembark for hours, passengers said, “making us feel like hostages, without food or water,” according to one witness. …

[JimRed]

The description of the plane’s physical condition may indicate that one or more members of the ground crew that vandalized the aircraft. It is a short step from vandalism to sabotage.

Muslims on the ground crew? What could possibly go wrong? < /sarc >

[Tzfat]

He obviously planned this action as he had to review the route and submit his flight plan, check current weather conditions and prepare his charts, etc. It's not like driving a taxi.

Airline pilots don't file flight plans. It is done hours before a flight by the airline's flight operations center. Often pilots know nothing about the proposed flight until they show up at the aircraft most often less than an hour before a flight. It may not be like driving a taxi, but to a professional pilot it might as well be.

[Tzfat]

Off base. There are extremely complex FAA rules governing pilot duty hours. Legitimate disputes are not uncommon in instances where things do not as planned (the rules are new, and most airlines are finding out that their interpretations are not valid after the FAA steps in). The original aircraft had a mechanical issue, this was the replacement aircraft. If the crew had been on duty for that time, it is reasonable to assume that the Captain did not deem himself or his crew fit for duty. That is his RESPONSIBILITY under the law. The airline only cares about getting the flight to the destination safely. The airline does NOT by awl certify a crew member is fit for duty. ONLY a pilot can determine that for himself. That is not union rules, that is FAR 117. Look it up.

[Ready4Freddy]

Media sites change the article titles frequently as more information is available.

[windcliff]

ping

[onedoug]

I’ll fly El Al, thanks.

[B4Ranch]

>>United Airlines has responded to complaints with an apology to customers and an offer of compensation - and clarified that the pilot’s refusal was the result of a work dispute.<<

[Blood of Tyrants]

Airline personnel refused to let them disembark for hours,

This ticks me off more than anything. How DARE the airline treat the passengers as if they were cargo to be stored on the plane. I would have gotten off and DARED them to call security. If they did, I would slap a unlawful detainment lawsuit on them so fast it would make their heads spin.

[garjog]

Let me guess. His first or middle name is Muhammad?

[IFly4Him]

The story indicates the crew was going to run out of duty time. The federal regulations put the onus on the crewmember to not accept an assignment that will put him/her over the max permissable limit. The only limit you can exceed is flight time IF it is beyond your control, but not duty time... Sounds like airline dispatch screwed up...

[CodeToad]

BS story. The pilot was NOT arrested for refusing to fly. There is no such law that forces a pilot to fly. In fact, there is a law that says a pilot does not have to fly.

[Candor7]

I did not mean to give the impression he should be molycoddled. I just wonder how he could be arrested in what was a civil law dispute concerning employement. Maybe he was fired and refused to leave the premisis. The facts are still foggy. If he is a Muslim they should deport the idjit.