Man Accused of Binding Teen's Hands on Flight

By Hum
in Real World News

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Grand Master

Hum

Posted
Posted

DENVER (AP) -- A 29-year-old man was arrested Tuesday for allegedly binding the hands of a teenager sitting next to him on a Southwest Airlines flight and trying to tape her older sister's hands as well.

The U.S. attorney's office said Ezra Wallace has been charged with two counts of assault aboard an aircraft for the incident on a San Diego-to-Denver flight on Aug. 1.

According to an arrest affidavit, Wallace and the two teenage sisters were seated in the same row on the flight. Officials said Wallace did not know the girls.

Before the plane took off, he allegedly tried to take a photograph of the older sister, who was seated in the aisle seat, but she covered her face. During the flight, the younger sister, who is 16, said Wallace took out some pre-torn strips of white athletic tape from his backpack and used a figure eight pattern to tie her hands together with the tape.

The older sister managed to free her sister, tearing off the tape with her teeth. Afterward, Wallace allegedly tried to tape the older sister's hands to those of her younger sibling, according to the document. A flight attendant who saw what was happening then moved the two girls to a different row with their brother.

Wallace was allowed to stay on the Denver-bound flight, and the FBI interviewed the 16-year-old a week later.

According to the affidavit, Wallace said he was ''drunk and blurry'' during the flight because he drank about a half-pint of vodka beforehand.

The federal public defender's office, which is expected to represent Wallace, said it could not comment because lawyers hadn't received information about the case yet.

U.S. Attorney spokesman Jeff Dorschner said Wallace's arrest was delayed because of ''investigative work'' but wouldn't elaborate.

Wallace remains in custody in Colorado.

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Grand Master

Dane

Posted
Posted

Why didn't they have police on the ground waiting for him to get off the plane? They said they waited awhile. Sure enough that alone from what is said that happened on the plane would have been enough for the police to take action as soon as the plane landed.

Grand Master

Vykranth

Posted
Posted
:whistle:

Who is the "why don't you take a seat" guy?

good luck opening a door at 3xxxx feet

Well, opening it would be rather easy, closing it might be trickier ....

Why didn't they have police on the ground waiting for him to get off the plane? They said they waited awhile. Sure enough that alone from what is said that happened on the plane would have been enough for the police to take action as soon as the plane landed.

So, that's really surprising because with the security rules now in planes and airports, the stewards should have warned the pilots, who would have called air traffic control, who would have called the police to pick that guy at landing.

That story sounds fishy...

Grand Master

Southern Patriot

Posted
Posted
umm did you learn anything in high school about "pressure"? :rolleyes:

Did YOU?? The pressure inside an airplane at altitude is HIGHER than the pressure outside, so opening the door (which opens outward) is not difficult at all, but only a moron would do it except in an emergency.

Grand Master

webeagle12

Posted
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Did YOU?? The pressure inside an airplane at altitude is HIGHER than the pressure outside, so opening the door (which opens outward) is not difficult at all, but only a moron would do it except in an emergency.

you might check your facts again :rolleyes:

Grand Master

webeagle12

Posted
Posted (edited)
And which fact do you claim is wrong??

http://www.boeing.com/commercial/safety/faq.html#FAQ6

Can the doors open in flight?

Hollywood has made quite a few thrillers through the years depicting people getting sucked out of airplanes. It's some people's worst nightmare! It's also extremely unlikely.

First of all, commercial jets are made of extremely strong stuff. The materials are lightweight, but the structure is designed to be incredibly strong. It's also designed to be "fault tolerant," meaning that if one part of structure fails, other parts will take up the loads and the airplane will continue to fly safely. There's also a comprehensive program in place to ensure the structural integrity of older planes through periodic inspections, replacement of structural components, and modifications.

As for the doors, they cannot be opened once an airplane is airborne and pressurized. To facilitate breathing and passenger comfort, airplanes are pressurized to the equivalent atmosphere of 8,000 feet. Since airplanes typically cruise above 30,000 feet, the air pressure inside the plane is much greater than the pressure outside -- and that pressure differential makes it impossible to open the door, even if somebody wanted to do such a thing.

If an emergency landing is necessary, as the plane descends, the pilots slowly depressurize the plane, so the doors can open immediately after the plane touches down. Emergency exits are designed to open once a plane has landed.

:rolleyes: any more comments?

Edited by webeagle12
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