After commandeering the plane’s PA system in order to rant to passengers about her divorce and to call Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton “assholes,” a United Airlines pilot had to be removed from a flight from Austin to San Francisco on Saturday evening.
The pilot arrived at the plane wearing civilian clothes, and she proceeded to discuss her divorce and reportedly began to cry while on the mic. One passenger caught her on video saying not to worry because a man would be flying the plane and not her, and she said if passengers didn’t feel safe, they could disembark.
Passengers also took to Twitter to record the proceedings and the aftermath.
So, y'all. I'm shaking right now. I just left my @united flight 455 'cos the captain demonstrated that she was not mentally in a safe space.
— Randy Reiss (@undeadsinatra) February 11, 2017
She got on in street clothes and asked if we were ok with her flying like that. We all said okay. Cute, right?
— Randy Reiss (@undeadsinatra) February 11, 2017
So then she says "sorry, I'm going through s divorce." Ummm uh oh
— Randy Reiss (@undeadsinatra) February 11, 2017
Then she identified an interracial couple in first class, I think in an effort to say "yay unity" but it was was awkward.
— Randy Reiss (@undeadsinatra) February 11, 2017
Then she's like "I don't care if you voted for Trump or Clinton. They're both assholes."
— Randy Reiss (@undeadsinatra) February 11, 2017
Reiss then wrote that he stormed off the plane and half the passengers followed suit.
Last night's weird/scary @united flight 455 just gets weirder in retrospect. Why did we have to walk off the plane to ensure she didn't fly?
— Jenn Deering Davis (@jdeeringdavis) February 12, 2017
Eventually, the pilot was removed.
So, she's off the flight. pic.twitter.com/4Lzq8O9jzY
— Randy Reiss (@undeadsinatra) February 11, 2017
WE HUGGED GOOD-BYE Y'ALL
— Randy Reiss (@undeadsinatra) February 12, 2017
She was crying. She apologized. I wished her well & said I hope she gets the help she needs.
— Randy Reiss (@undeadsinatra) February 12, 2017
I kid u not, her parting words: "We should be on show together. We should write a book." OMG.
— Randy Reiss (@undeadsinatra) February 12, 2017
She definitely was dealing with some heavy personal issues. And that sucks. But if you're unfit to fly, please don't step on the plane.
— Jenn Deering Davis (@jdeeringdavis) February 12, 2017
“We removed her from the flight, (and) we’re going to discuss this matter with her,” Charlie Hobart, a United Airlines spokesman, told the Austin American Statesman. “We were looking out for our customers to get them to where they needed to be.”
The flight reportedly was delayed for two hours. And the next day, at least one passenger had more questions.
“I asked an attendant if she was really our pilot and he said yes. ‘Why is she being allowed to fly,’ I asked,” wrote a passenger named Hayes Davis on Twitter. “’She’s the pilot and I’m not a psychologist,’ was the response. We got the hell off right after that. Why were no @united employees able to prevent her from flying. Why did it take us walking off? I think @united should have to answer that publicly with their policy. And if there’s not one, why? If there is one, I sure hope it wasn’t this.”