He wanted to perfect his technique: a trainee pilot tries to enter the cockpit of a plane in mid-flight three times

L'apprenti pilote voulait se perfectionner. Illustration Unsplash. – Wenhao Ruan.

Un élève pilote âgé de 19 ans a tenté de pénétrer à trois reprises dans le cockpit d'un avion Alaska Airlines le 3 mars 2024. Arrêté, il a prétendu vouloir "tester" quelques techniques. 

The apprentice pilot wanted to practice in the field. A 19-year-old man caused panic on board a plane connecting San Diego and Dulles airports last week. NBC News reports that the student, on three occasions, attempted to enter the cockpit of the aircraft in order to put in practice theoretical elements scribbled in a notebook. 

He tries three times to enter the cockpit

On board Alaska Airlines Flight 322 on March 3, a young man went to the front of the plane and headed towards the door of the plane. cockpit. It opens access to the passenger compartment for the first time before being rejected. He will repeat his maneuver two other times, tell our colleagues across the Atlantic: "He made three separate attempts to get to the front and open the plane's cockpit door."

According to the account of our colleagues, the flight attendants "requested the help of officers responsible for the flight' law enforcement officers, who were off-duty" following the incident. It was these public officials who "restrained Jones with flexible handcuffs and sat on either side of him for the rest of the flight". 

The question of the mental health of the young defendant

Interviewed after landing, the young man explained to the police that he wanted to "test& quot; techniques relating to aircraft piloting. Finally, the defendant is being prosecuted for "alleged interference with a flight crew", a misdemeanor punishable by maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. 

His lawyer said he was worried about his client's mental health. He requested an expert opinion to ensure his discernment at the time of the events. The young man has reportedly, since his arrest, "incoherent speech, disorganized behavior, mood lability and appears to suffer from psychosis".