SINGAPORE police are questioning a Qantas passenger after he
threatened to bring down a plane with the 'power of his mind', the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported on Tuesday.
The man, believed by other passengers to be under the influence
of drugs or alcohol, was detained on Monday evening after arriving
on a flight from Sydney.
An ABC reporter, who was also on Flight QF31, said the man also
had religious delusions.
The man was restrained in his chair after he threatened to use
mind power to bring down the Boeing 747, five hours into the 7
1/2-hour flight.
A Qantas spokesman said the man behaved in a 'threatening and
disruptive manner'. He was removed from the plane when it landed at
Changi Airport just before midnight, the ABC reported.
A police spokesman said the man was being held for
investigation.
The incident occurred on the same day as another Qantas plane
was grounded in Melbourne, after a cockpit window cracked during a
flight from Los Angeles.
Meanwhile a Qantas Boeing 747 from Bangkok to London returned to
the Thai capital after a surge in one of its engines. Some 335
passengers were due to leave on a replacement plane at 1150 GMT
(7.50pm Singapore time).
A similar problem forced a Qantas flight to be aborted last
Tuesday, and a day later an Airbus A380 operated by the carrier
damaged tyres on landing in Sydney, showering sparks and
flames.
A faulty wing flap and an engine wiring problem have also
delayed flights in recent days, but the spokesman said there was no
safety problem at the Australian flag-carrier, AFP reported.
