The JetBlue pilot whose midair freakout in 2012 diverted a Las Vegas-bound jet and gave 135 passengers the fright of their lives is pointing the blame at the airline — for allowing him to fly.
”This is your captain freaking” pilot Clayton Osbon, 52, slapped JetBlue Airways on Friday with a nearly $15 million negligence lawsuit in Manhattan federal court saying a “complex partial brain seizure” made him go ballistic March 27, 2012 on Flight 191, screaming about terror attacks and religion while running down the plane’s aisle before being restrained by passengers.
Osbon began to rant and rave about the likelihood of a terrorist attack and the need for Flight 191’s crew and passengers to embrace religion.
“Pray f–king now for Jesus Christ…This plane will never make it to Vegas…We’re all going down!” shouted Osbon, shortly before frightened passengers pinned him to the cabin floor.
The New York to Las Vegas flight was diverted to Amarillo, Texas, after Osbon’s first officer locked him out of the cockpit. He was arrested and jailed but months later found not guilty in Texas federal court by reason of insanity on charges of interfering with a flight crew.
Osbon claims the airline failed to spot he was suffering from a brain seizure resulting from “a childhood traumatic head injury” – the effects of which never surfaced until the day of the flight.
He alleges Jet Blue “unnecessarily endangered” lives because it should have seen the “clear evidence and warning signs” that he was ill that day when he missed a preflight meeting, failed to answer calls about his whereabouts and showed up disoriented and sloppily dressed.
He also claims JetBlue lacks the protocol to prevent such incidents and that its failure to ground him has cost him his career and reputation.
“Captain Osbon’s uniform, appearance, and demeanor clearly demonstrated that something was wrong and that he was not fit to fly,” the suit says. “Captain Osbon’s behavior was highly unusual. Based upon the flight crew’s experience with Captain Osbon, they knew or should have known that something was wrong.”
JetBlue declined comment.