An American Airlines mechanic with an ax to grind allegedly tampered with an aircraft set to carry 150 passengers from Miami to Nassau Bahamas last month. The great news? An error message saw the pilots abort takeoff and return to the gate. But the terrifying news? That it wasn’t even an act of terrorism. That is, if Abdul-Majeed Marouf Ahmed Alani is to be believed.
Alani tells investigators that he didn’t intend to harm the plane or passengers…that he only intended to cause a flight delay or cancellation in hopes of earning overtime. Apparently, American Airlines' nasty labor dispute with its mechanics set him off.
The airline says mechanics had been engaging in an unlawful slowdown to get the upper hand in negotiations. In a lawsuit filed this past May, American claimed mechanics were taking an "inordinately long time to repair aircraft'' and refusing to work overtime. Alani is due in court today.
Source:USA Today