A student pilot has been charged with interfering with a flight crew after repeated attempts to enter a Boeing 737 cockpit on a transcontinental Alaska Airlines flight.
Charge: Student Pilot Attempts To Breach Cockpit Three Times On Alaska Airlines Flight
19-year-old Nathan Jones boarded Alaska Airlines flight 322 from San Diego (SAN) to Washington Dulles (IAD) on March 3, 2024. But he left the flight in handcuffs for his very bizarre behavior onboard.
Seated in 6E, the bulkhead middle seat in the “Premium” cabin (economy class seats, but with five extra inches of legroom), Jones walked through the first class cabin, past the galley, and tried to open the cockpit door at three different points during the flight.
When asked what he was doing, he said he “was testing them.”
After his third attempt, flight attendants solicited the help of two off-duty police officers, who sat on either side of him for the remainder of the flight. He was also placed in flex cuffs and flight attendants used a beverage cart to block the cockpit door.
He was arrested upon landing at IAD and law enforcement officers found a wallet containing a student pilot’s license as well as notebooks containing information on how to operate an aircraft (though the FBI affidavit is not clear if the notebooks specifically pertained to the 737-900 used on this flight).
Alaska Airlines told authorities that Jones “appeared confused” and tried to access the flight deck “in a nonviolent manner.”
Jones is currently being detained in Alexandria, Virginia and his attorney has asked for a mental competency hearing, which will occur later today, ostensibly to assert that Jones did not know he was doing anything wrong.
That motion included a therapist’s letter stating Jones has symptoms “indicative of a serious mental illness” and that Jones has been deemed a suicide risk.
Someone keep an airplane…and a gun…away from this boy.
Perhaps pleading insanity is the smart move here, but it’s a bit scary to think that he would even have a student pilot’s license.
CONCLUSION
Attempting to open a cockpit door on a commercial flight not once, not twice, but three times is just asking for a prison sentence. You do have to wonder if the insanity defense is more than a Hail Mary at this point considering it happened three times…
Mushrooms again. He must be taking flying lessons from that Alaska pilot last year.
One could call him a go-getter
It took three attempts before handcuffing? Keep him locked up before his next delusional episode.
Lock him up for being mentally ill? That thought process is one of numerous reasons America’s crime rate is multiple times worse than many other countries.
Yes Steven. He is actively psychotic. A danger to himself and others. He will get immediate treatment when incarcerated. His meds will be monitored. Sadly he did not seek treatment, or was denied treatment prior to this incident. Life is not a perfect rose garden.
Prisons in America and treatment do not go together. He will get no major help, get released after this felony, and never be able to get a decent job ever again, even if he gets treatment when he is out. And we wonder why they recommit.
Conservatives pretend things are like the old days but don’t realize it’s not that way anymore so have their heads in the sand and think jailing people everywhere is the answer.
The first attempt could easily be mistaken for the wrong door. Happens more often then you think if you use the forward lavatory. I wonder how many people lean against the cockpit door during a flight?
Another person’s dreams shot to hell.
The FAA did say they were actively recruiting from the marginalized mentally ill population. Can’t wait for him to be certified so he’ll have a left seat up front.
I don’t think he is mentally ill. He is a student pilot and was trying to get into the cockpit for an experience. He is a go getter However; this is a red alert to all of us. We know at this time that we have had a few million terrorists enter into our country. After 9-11 the security of the pilot and co-pilot changed. Precautions of entering changed. This student maybe will have
saved the from something horrific. It looks like we need to address airline security that the 9-11 safety for the airlines is put back into place immediately. I hope the student with his private license hasn’t ruined his life. I blame the airline more. That cockpit should have been secured. Enough damage was done 9/11
The cockpit was secured. He never entered. The doors are bulletproof.