Naked man climbs into LA jet
Nov 4th 2004, 9:19 am
#1
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Naked man climbs into LA jet
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A Canadian man, angry that he was refused a plane ticket to Australia at Los Angeles International Airport, stripped naked, sprinted across the tarmac and climbed into the wheel well of a moving jumbo jet, officials say.
Pilots of the Qantas Airways flight stopped the plane. The man was coaxed out of the wheel well and arrested for trespassing, said airport spokeswoman Nancy Castles.
"This was an extremely dangerous thing for him to do. If he had continued to cling in there with the aircraft taking off at over 200 miles (320 kph) per hour, he might have fallen out and could have been sucked up by an engine," she said.
"If he had survived that and was in the wheel well when the landing gear was retracted, he could have been crushed by the mechanism. And if not he very likely would have frozen to death during the 15 1/2 hour flight at 30,000 feet (9,150 metres) while wearing no clothes."
The man, Neil Melly, 31, tried to buy a one-way ticket on the Qantas flight on Monday evening, but was turned down because he could not supply a valid credit card, Castles said.
Later, he managed to climb over an airport fence, topped by three strands of barbed wire, without injury and was spotted by a ramp worker "running, naked, full-speed" toward the plane.
Castles said a check by authorities found that Melly had been reported missing to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and was suffering from bi-polar disorder, a manic-depressive illness.
Pilots of the Qantas Airways flight stopped the plane. The man was coaxed out of the wheel well and arrested for trespassing, said airport spokeswoman Nancy Castles.
"This was an extremely dangerous thing for him to do. If he had continued to cling in there with the aircraft taking off at over 200 miles (320 kph) per hour, he might have fallen out and could have been sucked up by an engine," she said.
"If he had survived that and was in the wheel well when the landing gear was retracted, he could have been crushed by the mechanism. And if not he very likely would have frozen to death during the 15 1/2 hour flight at 30,000 feet (9,150 metres) while wearing no clothes."
The man, Neil Melly, 31, tried to buy a one-way ticket on the Qantas flight on Monday evening, but was turned down because he could not supply a valid credit card, Castles said.
Later, he managed to climb over an airport fence, topped by three strands of barbed wire, without injury and was spotted by a ramp worker "running, naked, full-speed" toward the plane.
Castles said a check by authorities found that Melly had been reported missing to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and was suffering from bi-polar disorder, a manic-depressive illness.
Nov 4th 2004, 12:51 pm
#2
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Re: Naked man climbs into LA jet
He would be suffering from a lot more than that if the place was going faster!! Runway rash perhaps??
Nov 4th 2004, 12:54 pm
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Re: Naked man climbs into LA jet
No need to go through the metal detector ... s'a good idea if you're in a hurry.
Nov 4th 2004, 1:01 pm
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Re: Naked man climbs into LA jet
Could also be a bit drafty up the kyber pass!!
Nov 4th 2004, 1:44 pm
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Re: Naked man climbs into LA jet
Originally Posted by Deadmeat
No need to go through the metal detector ... s'a good idea if you're in a hurry.
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Nov 4th 2004, 1:46 pm
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Re: Naked man climbs into LA jet
Originally Posted by NC Penguin
Maybe no need to go through the x-ray machine but don't forget that the man could've been subjected to a internal cavity search too!
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