FBI: Man Attempts to Hijack Medical Transport Plane at New Mexico Airport

AP | Published: Oct 6, 2001 | The Associated Press

[seeker41]

DEMING, N.M. (AP) - Authorities were searching Saturday for a man who held a knife to the neck of a pilot and attempted to hijack a medical transport plane before fleeing a tiny airport in southern New Mexico. FBI supervisory agent Doug Beldon said Friday night's incident appeared to be isolated and unrelated to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center. No arrests have been made.

The University of New Mexico Hospital plane arrived at the Deming Municipal Airport around 9:45 p.m. to transport a baby from an area hospital. Paramedics had gone to get the child and the pilot stayed behind.

A man entered the back door of the plane and put a knife to the neck of the pilot and said, "Let's fly," Beldon said.

"It was very dark," he said. "The pilot certainly felt the knife to her neck."

The man was carrying a knife and a radio or police scanner. He was also wearing dark clothes that included a black hood with the eyes cut out.

The pilot started the King Air twin turbo-prop plane and headed down the runway when the back door opened and made a loud crashing noise. The pilot veered off the runway, Beldon said.

"Just after she veered off the runway, he struck her in the head three times with the radio device," he said. He said the man periodically repeated a word that sounded like "salama." Beldon could not identify the language of the word or give the exact spelling.

"He did speak with a foreign accent," which did not seem to be Spanish, Beldon said.

The pilot was taken to a Deming hospital, where was treated and released Saturday morning. The FBI and officials with Seven Bar Flying Service would not release the name of the pilot.

UNM hospital spokesman Sam Giammo said another plane was immediately dispatched to transport the child to Albuquerque, 200 miles north of Deming.

[seeker41]

Nah, this is not terror related.

[BCrago66]

Happens every day, move along folks, nothing to see here.

[seeker41]

I'm getting tired of this lying about "Not related to terror crap". "Salam" is a common arabic greeting!

[mewzilla]

Uh, oh. This should probably go in that inadvertant incident thread.

[xm177e2]

This is what I was saying, small 1-man attacks are going to be the norm. This "2nd Cell" the FBI is talking about sounds like it could carry out a large-scale attack, but other than that, expect individuals and pairs to be behind most of the new incidents. And many of them won't be receiving instructions from Bin Laden, they'll just go out and do things on their own initiative.

[xm177e2]

I'm getting tired of this lying about "Not related to terror crap". "Salam" is a common arabic greeting!

I doubt he was in there screaming "Hello" "Hello" "Hello" "Hello" "Hello" "Hello"...

This could be totally unrelated to terror.

He tried to hijack a "medical transport plane," the supplies on that plane could be valuable to the underworld, and if they could steal the PLANE, too, they'd have an easy vehicle for smuggling drugs into the US.

[sinkspur]

"Just after she veered off the runway, he struck her in the head three times with the radio device," he said. He said the man periodically repeated a word that sounded like "salama."

Didn't some cops take a police helicopter to a Krispy Kreme in Albuquerque?

Now, some guy tries to hijack a plane for some salami in Deming?

Hungry bunch, these New Mexicans.

[Mulder]

Too bad the pilot wasn't packing a .45

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

And then what? She veered off of the runway. Did the guy jump? Did she see him running across the tarmac? Where's the rest of the story?

[AZ Repub]

Too bad the pilot wasn't packing a .45

And how!

[seeker41]

I have no idea, I wasn't in the vicinity.;) That was all that was reported from AP.

[RoseyT]

That was absolutely hysterical, pixar!

[woofie]

"Salama" means "I need to use the restroom" in Ustanistan

[ProudFossil]

But what is funny the local NBC tv web page has the story of the cop's donut run which has been the top story here the past two days but no mention of the Deming incident. Strange coverage of the news.

[eniapmot]

I'm afraid we have just seen our first hijacking hoax. The pilot probably lost control of the plane: maybe wanted to do a run-up, forgot the parking brake, reached over to pick up her pencil and...waddayaknow?...she's off the runway.

"salama." Indeed!

Balogna.

[woofie]

Agreed...anyone in Deming saying "Salama" would be fed to the ducks...The Pilot probaby smoked some green chile stems...

[Jay W]

Friday night's incident appeared to be isolated and unrelated to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks

Operation Infinite Isolated and Unrelated Incident continues!

Every such incident is now "isolated" and "unrelated," but why? To prevent panic? To keep together the fragile coalition?

Notice that they said that it "appeared" to be isolated and unrelated. Not "is" but "appeared."

[ProudFossil]

I just caught the 5:00 pm local news and they reported the story in about the same words as the AP story. They did interview Doug Beldon and he said the man had struck the pilot three times and then threw her to the tarmac before running off. She was mildly injured.