Fugitive in '68 Hijack Nabbed at JFK

Airline, feds probing spate of new trouble

(NEWSER) - Delta Airlines made not one but three emergency landings over the weekend, causing racing hearts but no injuries in the hair-raising touchdowns in New York, Atlanta, and Ireland. An unspecified engine or air duct problem forced a Los Angles-bound flight to return to Atlanta just over an hour after takeoff, where its tail scraped the ground as it dropped onto the runway. Earlier, a Moscow-bound Boeing 767 returned to JFK after losing thrust in one of its engines. A Boeing 757 also made an emergency landing at Ireland's Shannon airport on Saturday after problems developed in two of its engines en route from Philadelphia. More»

JetBlue employee curses out passenger, exits using emergency slide

(NEWSER) - A potty-mouthed passenger was the last straw for a JetBlue flight attendant who cursed out the customer on the PA system of an arriving flight at New York's JFK airport today, then deployed the emergency slide to make his getaway. Steven Slater was arrested at his home nearby and charged with criminal mischief and reckless endangerment, reports the New York Post . "I can’t believe Steve’s on the run," said a neighbor. "He’s like OJ Simpson. He must have snapped." More»

Air traffic controller apparently allows child to take reins

(NEWSER) - Take Your Child to Work Day reached a whole new level when an air traffic controller apparently let his kid direct traffic at New York’s JFK airport, spurring an FAA investigation. The child’s voice is heard making five transmissions in audio recordings obtained by Fox , as pilots respond—one says, “Awesome job.” An adult—presumably the youngster’s parent—later explains, “That's what you get guys when the kids are out of school.” More»

Acted on 'revelation,' with 'Father, Son and Holy Ghost' riding shotgun

(NEWSER) - The Bolivian man who commandeered a Mexican airliner today told authorities he was acting after a divine revelation, the AP reports, under the premise that today’s date—9/9/09—is the satanic number 666 upside down. Jose Flores, 44, told airline attendants that he and three others were taking control; his companions, police later learned, were “the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.” More»

(NEWSER) - The hijacker of a Canadian jet demanding to fly from Jamaica to Cuba has freed the six crewmembers he was holding and surrendered, reports the BBC. The man, whom authorities described as "mentally challenged," appeared to check in normally last night, then forced his way aboard the CanJet charter flight brandishing a weapon. No one was injured. More»