Page 6 - atoday

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U.S. NEWSTuesday 6 October 2015

Boston-bound airline pilot dies; From left, Summer Smith, Mathew Downing, Lacey Scroggins and Lisa Scroggins react during a
co-pilot lands safely in New York church service at the New Beginnings Church of God, in Roseburg, Ore. Mathew Downing and
Lacey Scroggins are survivors of the shooting at Umpqua Community College.
SYRACUSE, New York (AP) — An American Airlines co-
pilot made a mid-flight diversion and safely landed (AP Photo/John Locher)
the plane after the captain became ill and died, an
airline spokeswoman said Monday. Oregon shooter rants in manifesto about
American Airlines Flight 550 left Phoenix at 11:55 p.m. having no girlfriend
local time Sunday en route to Boston, spokeswoman
Andrea Huguely said. After the captain was stricken, JONATHAN COOPER nal while others around Others met with profession-
the first officer landed the plane in Syracuse shortly him were not, the official al groups to discuss their
before 7 a.m. Monday, with 147 passengers and five TAMI ABDOLLAH said. trauma and grief.
crew members onboard, she said. He wrote something to the A memorial was growing
Details of the medical emergency and the identity of Associated Press effect of: “Other people on the driveway leading to
the dead pilot weren’t immediately released, and the think I’m crazy, but I’m not. Snyder Hall, where Harper-
airline wouldn’t say when the death occurred. ROSEBURG, Oregon (AP) I’m the sane one,” the of- Mercer opened fire. Be-
“We are incredibly saddened by this event, and we ficial said. The manifesto sides those who died, nine
are focused on caring for our pilot’s family and col- — The gunman who ex- was a couple pages long. people were wounded.
leagues,” the Fort Worth, Texas-based airline said. Also Monday, some faculty, Harper-Mercer killed him-
A replacement crew was sent to Syracuse, and the ecuted nine people at an staff and students returned self after a shootout with
plane, an Airbus A320, landed in Boston at 12:30 p.m. to the campus for the first police.
Aviation experts said there was never any danger to Oregon community col- time since the shooting, A group of eight held hands
passengers because pilots and co-pilots are equally while President Barack and bowed their heads in
capable of flying the aircraft. lege before killing himself Obama announced he prayer in front of the build-
Former airline pilot John Cox, an aviation safety con- will travel to Oregon to visit ing. Elsewhere, clusters of
sultant, said when one pilot becomes unable to fly ranted in a manifesto he privately with victims’ fami- people chatted at picnic
the other will rely on help from the plane’s automated lies. Obama has renewed tables or near buildings.
systems and get priority treatment from air traffic con- left behind about not hav- his call for stricter gun laws In a courtyard near the
trollers. following the shooting and center of campus, a ther-
“The passengers were not in danger, absolutely not,” ing a girlfriend and thinking has expressed exaspera- apy dog sat on a blanket
he said. tion at the frequency of with its handler. A woman,
Before the flight landed in Syracuse, the first officer everyone else was “crazy,” mass shootings in the U.S. crouched down, wiped
called the airport tower and said in a calm voice, Classes do not resume at away a tear.
“American 550. Medical emergency. Captain is inca- a law enforcement official Umpqua Community Col- At least one student injured
pacitated.” He requested a runway to land on. lege until next week, but in the shooting was among
In a recording of his exchange with the tower, he ex- said Monday. some students came to those who returned Mon-
presses concern whether ambulance medics can get the campus to pick up be- day, college President Rita
on the plane quickly. He’s assured they can and is The official also said the longings they left behind Cavin said. She did not
told to go into a gate where the medics would meet Thursday when they fled. identify the student.q
the plane. mother of 26-year-old gun-
Passenger Louise Anderson, who was heading from
Reno, Nevada, to Boston via Phoenix, said she had man Christopher Harper-
dozed off on the flight.
“What I woke up to was the flight attendant tell- Mercer has told investi-
ing us we were making an emergency landing be-
cause the pilot was ill,” she said. gators he was struggling
She said rumors of the pilot’s death circulated in the
Syracuse airport but were confirmed only by an an- with some mental health
nouncement on their makeup flight to Boston.
Anderson said the mood on board then was somber, issues. The official is familiar
but she commended the crew’s handling of a tragic
situation. Airline pilots must pass physical exams every with the investigation but
12 months, every six months for captains 40 or older.
Steve Wallace, who led the Federal Aviation Admin- wasn’t authorized to speak
istration’s accident investigations office from 2000 to
2008, said it’s rare for a pilot to become incapacitat- publicly because it is ongo-
ed. According to the FAA, seven pilots for U.S. airlines
and one charter pilot have died during flights since ing.
1994.q
Harper-Mercer com-

plained in the manifesto

about not having a girl-

friend, and he seemed to

feel like he was very ratio-