Pilot removed from flight after having mental breakdown over the intercom
A female pilot for United Airlines was removed from a plane before the flight took off from Austin to San Francisco on Saturday.
The flight, United 455, was scheduled to depart at 5:02 pm but was delayed over two hours when the unidentified pilot went on what has been described by passengers as a “rant.”
The pilot, who was wearing street clothes, entered the cabin and began to talk to the passengers over the intercom. She spoke of her divorce and the presidential election, according to passenger Randy Reiss.
He said that pilot also mentioned that she was going to be on Oprah. She also stated that both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are “a******s.”
The comments the pilot was making unsettled passengers and led them to question her ability to fly that day.
“She said, ‘Sorry I’m late, the reason I’m late is I’m going through a divorce,'” said Reiss. “It quickly went from playful to scary.”
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He said that at first, the woman seemed friendly, but then she pointed out an interracial couple in first class. The pilot also seemed to notice that some of the passengers were nervous.
According to video shot of the incident, she said, “Okay, if you don’t feel safe, get off the plane, but otherwise we can go.”
That was when Reiss decided to get his bag and exit the plane.
“Being a pilot is a tough and stressful job; she was just not equipped today to do it,” stated Reiss.
“She seemed in an emotionally tough space, so I hope she finds the help she probably needs.”
It didn’t take long for United Airlines to put out a statement. While the plane was still sitting on the tarmac, they said, “We hold our employees to the highest standards and replaced this pilot with a new one to operate the flight, which we expect will depart shortly. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.”
