One airline worker had an on-the-job blowup that will put your worst day of work to shame. A United Airlines pilot became so incensed at a parking gate that he had become stuck that he began whacking it with an axe. The scene, which was caught on camera, looks like an airport rendition of “The Shining” with the pilot sauntering across the runway to unleash his fury on the unsuspecting gate.
This pilot must have really wanted to get a way from work, and who can blame him? Leaving the work place is supposed to be the first bit of respite after a long day on the job, and to be stuck in the parking lot longer than necessary must be cone of the most infuriating things possible. This man wasn’t going to sit and wait for maintenance to come to fix the gate. He got out of his car, grabbed the axe that he apparently always carries, and got to problem-solving.
As can be seen in the hilarious security footage the pilot can be seen taking roughly 20 full swings at the parking lot gate before the arm shatters, allowing the trapped employees to escape. The pilot, who is identified as a 63 year old man in the Twitter video below and is referred to as “Jones,” Was walked away as the arm crashed to the ground.
Next, he can been seen in an altercation with an airport staff member who is trying to pry the axe away from the enraged pilot. Both men grab hold of the axe with both hands and begin wrestling for control of the weapon. In the end, it took a second employee to come to disarm Jones, who puts his hands up and immediately ceases to resist.
Commenters on the post mostly came to the defense of the pilot, explaining that they may have done the same thing given the circumstances and if they had the same tools at their disposal. One user said, “If you’ve ever been stuck in a parking lot with a broken security gate you can relate to this situation. He probably called for help multiple times.”
Another user agreed, saying, “Ya know…I can understand his frustrations. Sometimes you just get pushed past your tolerances. Pilots have it tough but no-one ever talks about what nonsense they have to put up with.”
Undoubtedly there will be some amount of Hell to pay for the pilot, but hopefully, his superiors can understand the frustration he must have felt during his time trapped at work after the end of his shift.
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United Airlines has not said anything about the incident, and it seems unlikely that will change in the near future. In the absence of any real conclusion, at least we know that the pilot made it out of the parking lot.
UPDATE: this was confirmed to be a pilot who was later charged with misdemeanor criminal mischief and has court next month. He has no prior arrests and has been removed from the flight schedule until the legal situation plays out, according to a report on CBS News:
A United Airlines pilot has been charged in a bizarre ax attack earlier this month in which he savaged a parking arm at a Denver International Airport employee parking lot, causing an estimated $700 in damage. Police say the pilot, Kenneth Henderson Jones, told them “He just hit his breaking point.” According to a police report, Jones also said he was trying to leave but he estimated there were six cars in line at each of the three exit gates. Airport administrators said there have been issues with the lot as people don’t have proper permits. Deputies say Jones told them he “was trying to get rid of issues for everyone waiting.”
WATCH THE VIDEO:
UNITED AIRLINES PILOT TAKES AN AXE TO PARKING ARM IN AIRPOR LOT ### $UALpic.twitter.com/0cpU36fv15
— iBankCoin, A Reliable Source (@iBankCoin4tw) August 18, 2023
Photo: video screenshot