A Brief History
On August 11, 2000, Southwest Airlines Flight 1763 from Nevada to Utah experienced one of those horrible moments when the lives of all on board were at stake.
Digging Deeper
An emotionally upset 19 year old man, possibly fueled by drugs in his system, engaged in an ongoing tirade in the airliner, culminating in his kicking in the cockpit door and attempting to enter the cockpit. The flight crew pushed the angry young man out of the flight deck and concerned passengers swarmed the out-of-control passenger and subdued him.
Unfortunately, the 19-year-old died while other passengers restrained him, including standing on his neck. His death was ruled by asphyxiation, and no other passengers were charged with any crimes concerning the restraint and death of the young man.
With no history of violence or mental illness, the death is a tragedy that created a fierce debate about how much force passengers can use on other passengers that imperil an airliner.
Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: Would you physically restrain an unruly passenger?
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Anderson, GLS. CLEARING THE AIR: Air Rage and Outrage. Kindle, 2024.
Anonymous and Andrew R. Thomas. Air Rage: Crisis in the Skies. Prometheus, 2011.
