Man in Cockpit Incident Is Charged in Chicago
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A 31-year-old mentally ill man was charged with interfering with a flight crew, after he allegedly broke into the cockpit of a Chicago-bound American Airlines jetliner, causing the plane to pitch and triggering a distress call that sent military jets speeding to the scene.
Alexander Coburn, displaying a gash on his head and a bandaged right wrist, appeared calm and consulted with his court-appointed lawyer in the brief hearing before a federal magistrate in Chicago. Coburn’s hometown is Fresno, Calif.
An affidavit filed with the court by an FBI agent says that Coburn ran to the front of the plane and crashed through the cockpit door, screaming something like the “pilots are going to kill us all.”
The crime of interfering with a flight crew carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
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