JetBlue captain goes nuts, passengers react swiftly

Passengers and others are still trying to learn what caused the pilot of a JetBlue flight to suffer a breakdown so serious that it required that he be subdued and taken into custody. The plane made an emergency landing in Texas, and no passengers were hurt.

AMARILLO, TX (Catholic Online) - JetBlue airways is describing the event as a "medical situation." Federal authorities have identified the captain as Clayton Osborn. Authorities transported Osborn to a local hospital in restraints where he is reportedly receiving care under FBI custody.

No charges have been filed.

The CEO of JetBlue Airways, Dave Barger, described Osborn as a "consummate professional." In an interview with NBC's Today Show, Barger added, "What happened at altitude is we had a medical situation. It became a security situation." 

The event was dramatic for passengers and cellphone footage is providing insight into what happened. Flight 191 left New York bound for Las Vegas, just before 7:30 AM. During the course of the flight the co-pilot became concerned about his colleague's behavior to the point that after Osborn left the cockpit he locked the door and refused to allow the captain reentry.

At that point, passengers say Osborn began banging on the door and making bizarre statements such as, "We've gotta pull the throttle back. We've gotta get this plane down." Eyewitnesses also say he made references to Israel, and Iraq and at one point said, "Oh my God, I'm so distraught!" Some passengers claim Osborn used the word "bomb" at one point, but this is unclear. 

These are not statements one makes in the post 9-11 world.

When flight attendants could not subdue Osborn, passengers rushed the captain and finished the job. Reportedly among the passengers responsible for restraining the captain were a retired NYPD officer and a correctional officer. 

Passengers described the scene as "something out of a movie" but the incident was very real. Despite their fears, passengers behaved admirably and ensured the plane was able to land without further incident. An off-duty JetBlue captain who also happened to be a passenger on the flight was admitted to the cockpit where he assisted the co-pilot in flying the plane to its emergency destination.

Passengers praised the co-pilot as a hero and Barger praised the crew and passengers for their response. Barger promised that JetBlue would revisit its procedures to ensure that such an incident would not happen again. 

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