[jsalcedo]

An Austrian man died after a struggle with other passengers on a flight from Mexico City to Paris on Saturday, aviation and law enforcement sources have told ABCNEWS.

Aero Mexico Flight 005 was diverted to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport after Alexander Zeiss, 25, started acting strangely and became aggressive toward the flight crew and other passengers, an Aero Mexico spokesperson said.

The disruption apparently started at the beginning of the meal service, the spokesperson said. Zeiss was allegedly yelling and drinking out of a bottle of whiskey that he brought on board.

The crew restrained Zeiss with plastic handcuffs, but he broke free and began choking a flight attendant, sources told ABCNEWS. When Zeiss became violent, the spokesperson said, the crew moved him to the back of the plane where they subdued him with a woman's panty hose. One source said that 10 to 12 passengers jumped into action to help the flight attendants.

During the struggle, Zeiss collapsed. The crew noticed that his lips and tongue were a different color, the airline spokesperson said. Zeiss later died.

The cause of Zeiss' death remains unclear. Two sources told ABCNEWS that Zeiss had allegedly consumed as much as a fifth of whiskey, but officials said they were awaiting the results of toxicology reports.

The FBI is investigating the incident, but officials say they are having difficulty determining the cause of death pending autopsy results, which are expected within a week.

[TallPine]

Terminal stupidity ....?

[Waitone]

And that is why a repeat of 911 with passenger jets will not happen.

Highly probable freighters will be used. That is why it is asinine to have cargo planes exempt from the armed pilot laws.

Congress!

[P95Carry]

Ditto TallPine ......... hard to put it much different.

Maybe if I felt really generous and he was old ..... I'd say maybe re had a stroke and that induced a mammoth brain fart ........... naw ...... that'd excuse the booze.

Back to plan/explanation 'A'.

[Frohickey]

The crew restrained Zeiss with plastic handcuffs, but he broke free and began choking a flight attendant, sources told ABCNEWS. When Zeiss became violent, the spokesperson said, the crew moved him to the back of the plane where they subdued him with a woman's panty hose. One source said that 10 to 12 passengers jumped into action to help the flight attendants.

Who's panty hose was it? ******* Clinton's?

[jsalcedo]

I was waiting patiently for the stinky panty hose comment..:D

[Tim Burke]

this kind of thing will be handled aggressively. Waitone is correct. Convince everyone on the plane that you are a threat to their life, and you shouldn't be too surprised if they become a threat to yours.

[Ed N.]

"the crew moved him to the back of the plane where they subdued him with a woman's panty hose. . . During the struggle, Zeiss collapsed. The crew noticed that his lips and tongue were a different color. . ."
============================================


Well, maybe if the 400 lb lady had removed the pantyhose first, this wouldn't have happened...

:p

[Standing Wolf]

No loss.

[hksw]

In the post 9/11 world...

this kind of thing will be handled aggressively. Waitone is correct. Convince everyone on the plane that you are a threat to their life, and you shouldn't be too surprised if they become a threat to yours.

Although I mostly agree, I can still see a satuation where there could be enough well trained and determined bad guys and not enough good guys that a takeover could be done.

[Ryder]

So what good is our airport high security if other countries don't follow suit. The guy had a bottle of whiskey. Couldn't that just as easily have been a bottle of explosives?

[Parker Dean]

Well, before we all lynch this guy in absentia I seem to recall that there is a form of dementia that occurs at reduced atmospheric pressures.

IIRC this is why it is not recommended to fly within 24 hours or so of scuba diving. I have no idea what alcohol consumption would do to something like this.

Assuming the guy wasn't asphyxiated by his captors (and we don't know yet that he was, still awaiting autopsy report) then the next most likely thing IS some form of altitude "sickness"

Or the guy could just have been a loon :D

[gburner]

Cause of death?......

Having his windpipe tap danced on by 10 to 12 passengers and assorted airline crew would do the trick.

[Sisco]

Get ready ladies; soon you won't be allowed to board the plane with pantyhose on your person or in your carry on.

[Bill Hook]

I smell lawsuit. :rolleyes:

[Brian Dale]

Whether the guy was just a drunk, or whether the physiological condition that Parker describes caused it, or whether there was some other reason, note the result.

Once again, a guy in an airplane became an apparent threat. The flight crew and passengers stopped him. Nobody outside the aircraft was involved.

[Pumpkinheaver]

Good ridance

[OF]

You've got to be some kind of stupid to charge the flight deck after 9/11.

- Gabe

[Selfdfenz]

Re: the Passengers

Good on em!
S-

[rayra]

jsalcedo, you have a link or any date information for that story - I'd like to read more about it, and more about the nut who died.

[Ladybug]

Hmm interesting, there was an almost identical case a couple of years ago - same thing happened. Some kid wigged out and was trying to open the doors on the plane mid-flight, he got jumped and died. I think he was on drugs - I'll see if I can still find it somewhere.

[jsalcedo]

rayra:

Here you go

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/Travel/passenger031016.html

[Ladybug]

Here's the older case -- note that this happened BEFORE 9/11

http://www.cnn.com/2000/US/09/16/passenger.dead.ap/

[444]

"I smell lawsuit"

I don't know, this doesn't involve US Citizens, or US companies. They might not put up with these foolish lawsuits in Mexico.
I know the Bambi Club on Revolution Street in Tijuana had a big hole right in front of the door for years and they appearently wern't concerned with lawsuits. :D

[rayra]

Thanks. Wierd. Wonder what the toxicology report on these dead freaks will be / was.