The Southwest Airline Suicide Incident

DwnWthVwls · 05-15-2015, 02:17 PM

Widow Says Southwest Airlines Refused To Let Her Call Suicidal Husband

Quote:

A Wisconsin woman says Southwest Airlines wouldn't allow her to make an emergency phone call last month, one that could have potentially saved the life of her suicidal husband.

Moments before her flight from New Orleans to Milwaukee took off on April 3, Karen Momsen-Evers told Wisconsin's NBC affiliate TMJ4 she received a disturbing text from her husband, indicating he intended to commit suicide.

Momsen-Evers immediately texted her husband back "no," but when she attempted to call him, a flight attendant forced her to turn off her phone, citing Federal Aviation Administration regulations.

She complied, then asked a second attendant for assistance once the flight reached cruising altitude, only to be denied.

"I begged her, I said I'm sure someone can make an emergency phone call," Momsen-Evers recalled to the station.

"I showed her the texts. She said that there is nothing she could do and that they could not disturb the pilot," she added to Fox News. "I just wanted someone to go and try to save him."

She says she spent the rest of the flight crying, and was only able to alert police after she arrived at the airport in Milwaukee. When she finally made it home, police officers informed Momsen-Evers her husband was dead.

A spokeswoman for Southwest told The Huffington Post the airline was "extremely saddened to learn of Mrs. Evers' loss, and the Southwest Family extends our deepest condolences."

"Our flight attendants are responsible for executing safety procedures to prepare a flight for departure and arrival, in accordance with FAA regulations, while assisting the up to 100-plus passengers onboard," she added. "Southwest Airlines transports more than 100 million customers a year and it's not uncommon for our crews to assist passengers with life events. In each situation, our employees utilize their training to handle a wide variety of situations to the best of their ability."

"Again, our hearts go out to the Evers family during this difficult time."

Thoughts? I understand with all the security changes since 9/11 why things like this happen, but I don't agree with it.

grtwhtgrvty · 05-15-2015, 02:30 PM

This is disgusting.

YorkeDaddy · 05-15-2015, 02:32 PM

I would've told the flight attendant to fuck off and continued to make the call anyway

fiddler · 05-15-2015, 02:37 PM

After 9/11, A LOT in the every day life changed. But this is something that could have been and should have been prevented. I can personally say I'd sue Southwest Airlines until the cows came home, but that's me. Anyone could clearly see it would have been an emergency. An emergency should take precedence over FAA regulations, and in the end, I can almost promise you that an FAA investigator would have cleared the airline of breaking the rules.

~~Cuthbert~~ · 05-15-2015, 02:47 PM

Quote:

a flight attendant forced her to turn off her phone, citing Federal Aviation Administration regulations.

she was told to turn her phone off and she did

DwnWthVwls · 05-15-2015, 02:53 PM

They scare you with the federal charges, if you were to fight against it you would get locked up in airport security for being a terrorist or some bs. Federal offenses are no joke, which is probably why this all went down so quietly. Seems like no one on the plane defended her either.

I guess the real question here is: Do national security procedures trump these kind of oddball situations?

~~Cuthbert~~ · 05-15-2015, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DwnWthVwls

They scare you with the federal charges, if you were to fight against it you would get locked up in airport security for being a terrorist or some bs. Federal offenses are no joke, which is probably why this all went down so quietly. Seems like no one on the plane defended her either.

Yeah assumed the consequences might have been serious enough to intimidate her. How much before take off was "moments before"?

I dunno, if I knew I was innocent I'd just make the call anyway and take the charge rather than lose a loved one.

Saying that I don't want to suggest she should have done this or that, cos it's a tragic story.

~~John Wilkes Booth~~ · 05-21-2015, 08:44 PM

twist ending: her husband was the pilot. after he OD'd on sleeping pills, the plane slammed into the pacific, just off the coast of that island they filmed Lost on. 240 innocent passengers dead. tragically, up to 11 of those passengers were bangable women. good news tho: entire flight staff uninjured; currently uploading their sympathies for the deceased passengers' families to facebook.

RoxyRollah · 05-22-2015, 03:55 AM

That'll teach ya to fly Southwest.

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05-15-2015, 02:30 PM	#2 (permalink)
grtwhtgrvty jiojoijoi Join Date: Feb 2015 Posts: 398	This is disgusting.

05-15-2015, 02:37 PM	#4 (permalink)
fiddler Music Addict Join Date: May 2015 Posts: 242	After 9/11, A LOT in the every day life changed. But this is something that could have been and should have been prevented. I can personally say I'd sue Southwest Airlines until the cows came home, but that's me. Anyone could clearly see it would have been an emergency. An emergency should take precedence over FAA regulations, and in the end, I can almost promise you that an FAA investigator would have cleared the airline of breaking the rules.

05-21-2015, 08:44 PM	#8 (permalink)
~~John Wilkes Booth~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Jul 2013 Posts: 2,235	twist ending: her husband was the pilot. after he OD'd on sleeping pills, the plane slammed into the pacific, just off the coast of that island they filmed Lost on. 240 innocent passengers dead. tragically, up to 11 of those passengers were bangable women. good news tho: entire flight staff uninjured; currently uploading their sympathies for the deceased passengers' families to facebook.