American Airlines Mechanic Arrested on Sabotage Charge After Grounding Flight – The New York Times, The New York Times

An American Airlines mechanic based at Miami International Airport was arrested on Thursday on a charge that he sabotaged the navigation equipment of a flight carrying 150 people, forcing it to be grounded just before takeoff, the authorities said.

The mechanic, Abdul-Majeed Marouf Ahmed Alani, told investigators on Thursday that he had tampered with the air data module system on Flight 2834 from Miami to Nassau in the Bahamas on July 17 because he was disgruntled about an impasse over a union contract, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court.

The equipment, which is housed in a compartment beneath the cockpit and near the nose landing gear, keeps track of an aircraft’s speed and pitch as well as other critical flight data.

As the Boeing 737 – 800 was approaching the departure runway and powering up its engines , the crew got an error message and aborted the takeoff, the authorities said.

Security camera footage showed that Mr. Alani had gained access to the compartment housing the plane’s air data module system, where he inserted a piece of foam to obstruct the equipment, according to investigators.

“Alani stated that his intention was not to cause harm to the aircraft or its passengers,” the criminal complaint said. “Alani explained to law enforcement that he was upset at the stalled contract dispute between the union workers and American Airlines, and that this dispute had affected him financially. Alani claimed that he tampered with the target aircraft in order to cause a delay or have the flight canceled in anticipation of obtaining overtime work. ”

Information about Mr. Alani’s age and place of residence was not immediately available. It was not immediately clear if he had a lawyer.

He is charged with willfully damaging, destroying or disabling an aircraft and could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Two days after the episode, American Airlines ’corporate security reported the suspected sabotage to the F.B.I., according to the criminal complaint.

“At American we have an unwavering commitment to the safety and security of our customers and team members and we are taking this matter very seriously, ”Ross Feinstein, an American Airlines spokesman, said in an email. “At the time of the incident, the aircraft was taken out of service, maintenance was performed and, after an inspection to ensure it was safe, the aircraft was returned to service. American immediately notified federal law enforcement who took over the investigation with our full cooperation. ”

The same plane had flown from Orlando to Miami just hours before its scheduled departure for Nassau and required only minor maintenance to replace a light bulb in the cockpit, the authorities said.

It was unusual for Mr. Alani, who normally works in a hangar for disabled aircraft, to be in the area of ​​the plane, the investigators said.

In addition to the problem with the navigation equipment, a pitot tube, used to determine airspeed, a measurement vital to controlling the plane, was also loose, the authorities said. Ice buildup in a pitot tube’s intakeled to the 2009 crash of Air France Flight 447over the Atlantic.

One day before Mr. Alani’s arrest, the TWU-IAM Association, which represents 30, 00 0 of the airline’s employees, including mechanics,announced that mediation talks would resumebetween the union and the airline.**********