Jetblue pilot’s wife: Sorry he went nuts!
THE WIFE OF Jetblue pilot Clayton Osbon, who was tackled by passengers after he flipped out in the cockpit, publicly thanked the men who restrained him.
“We would like to recognize the crew and passengers of Flight 191 for their effective yet compassionate handling of the situation,” Connye Osbon said in a statement released Sunday.
“We know you were placed in an awful situation and we appreciate your ability to respond professionally.”
Osbon, a veteran pilot who displayed no previous signs of psychosis, began turning off instruments while ranting about Jesus, 9/11 and terrorists after Jetblue Flight 191 took off from Kennedy Airport last Tuesday.
The plane happened to be full of burly New Yorkers headed to a security convention in Las Vegas. Several jumped the captain and kept him tied up until the plane could make an emergency landing in Texas.
Osbon, 49, was charged with interfering with a flight crew and could face 20 years in prison.
His wife stressed that he didn’t attack anyone — even after being tackled.
“It is our belief, as Clayton’s family, that while he was clearly distressed, he was not intentionally violent toward anyone,” Connye Osbon said.
She said she and the rest of the family would not be granting any interviews.
“We hope you can empathize and understand that our focus completely surrounds Clayton’s recovery,” she said.
Co-pilot Jason Dowd, praised as the hero of Flight 191 for shutting Osbon out of the cockpit and landing the plane safely, remained in seclusion and also refused to give interviews.