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I think the era of airplane hijackings is probably behind us, not because of airport security, but because pilots, flight crews and, above all, pas

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”Let’s roll!”

“I think the era of airplane hijackings is probably behind us, not because of airport security, but because pilots, flight crews and, above all, passengers will no longer comply with the old ritual of going along with the hijacker--the protocol that was still in place on September 11.”

An Air Mauritania pilot and his passengers and crew took care of a would-be hijacker:

“A cunning pilot thwarted a hijacking by discreetly warning the passengers in French — a language the gunman didn’t speak — that he would knock the attacker off-balance with a rough landing, and that they should be ready to pounce.

The plan worked.

As Capt. Ahmedou Mohamed Lemine landed the Air Mauritania Boeing 737, he slammed on the brakes, then abruptly accelerated, throwing the hijacker to the floor, officials said Friday. The forewarned passengers and crew threw boiling water from a coffee maker on the man’s face and chest, then beat him into submission.”

“This kind of thing will deter hijackers. “A pack, not a herd,” as Glenn Reynolds says.”

Being fed up with whackos expressing themselves and trying to make some piddling little point in a grandiose manner, I hope that many more passengers and crews will get the hint.

Oh, and ... Excellent brakes!

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Indeed.

I think we learned this with the 4th plane back in September 2001.
Informed citizens will take action.

Gee… I hope he didn’t have his civil rights violated.

(sorry… it was too tempting)

Vigilantism can be a good thing! All law breakers should be fearful of citizens who just won’t take it anymore. They were just enforcing their borders on the aircraft. Maybe this type of citizen action would work on other borders as well?

When I was in the Air Force one of my fellow officers (well he was in the Guard actually) recounted to me how his dad had dealt with a hijacker while landing a passenger jet: He locked up all the wheels on landing roll and the hijacker flew into the guage cluster / window. They disarmed him rather easily then.

Nice to see that tactic has not been forgotten!

Nice to see too that people realize they have to defend themselves from these scum.

All very inspiring but I doubt that it will survive the first high-profile suit by a would-be hijacker, accusing the passengers who immobilize him of infringing his “civil rights”. It doesn’t matter if whatever leftist lawyer who represents him wins or not; too many average passengers will be left destitute by the proceedings.

Congress could doubtless address this before it happens, making it illegal to sue the people one tried to kidnap or murder in or over US territory, but so far has shown little interest in doing so.

big dirigible - 17 February 2007 12:16 PM

All very inspiring but I doubt that it will survive the first high-profile suit by a would-be hijacker, accusing the passengers who immobilize him of infringing his “civil rights”. It doesn’t matter if whatever leftist lawyer who represents him wins or not; too many average passengers will be left destitute by the proceedings.

Congress could doubtless address this before it happens, making it illegal to sue the people one tried to kidnap or murder in or over US territory, but so far has shown little interest in doing so.

Which is why when you take on a criminal it is better to ensure they are dead vs. wounded. It is much harder for the family of the dead criminal to sue you successfully than a wounded criminal who will tell lies to the court.