Fly2Scuba
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Pinnacle says a saboteur caused delays
Joy Powell, Star Tribune December 24, 2004 TAMPER1224
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Travelers might expect flight delays because of bad weather or occasional mechanical problems, but who would think a flight attendant would sabotage planes?
On Thursday, federal prosecutors charged a Chaska man who works for Pinnacle Airlines, which operates as Northwest Airlink, with damaging the safety and emergency equipment on 14 flights, including some in and out of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
Many of the flights were delayed or canceled.
The felony charge against Steven R. Hirtzinger, 23, came after an internal investigation by Pinnacle, which has its headquarters in Memphis.
The frequency of the sabotage incidents -- which began in August and continued through Wednesday -- had been increasing as Christmas neared.
The complaint against Hirtzinger, filed in Milwaukee, charges him with causing a plane to become inoperable.
It said he tampered with an array of equipment, including fire extinguishers, oxygen tanks and breathing apparatus that would be used by pilots in emergencies.
This week, Pinnacle security officials set up a sting after a series of the schedule-ruining incidents, which shared a common denominator: 13 out of 14 happened when Hirtzinger was the sole flight attendant, according to court papers.
The only tampering incident that was discovered when Hirtzinger was not on duty involved a plane that he had flown on shortly before, the complaint said.
FBI agents arrested Hirtzinger at his home Wednesday night. He has been suspended from his job and is banned from airports.
His attorney, Fred Bruno, said that Hirtzinger will plead not guilty and that he had reported the equipment problems to a supervisor.
"Where's the motive?" defense attorney Julie Loftus, who works with Bruno, asked after Hirtzinger's initial appearance in U. S. District Court in Minneapolis on Thursday.
Court papers described the sting:
On Wednesday, a mechanic with GearBuck Services, a company that provides maintenance services to Pinnacle, examined the equipment on a plane scheduled to fly from Milwaukee to New York.
Everything was intact before Hirtzinger boarded the plane.
But 80 minutes later, as the plane prepared for takeoff, pilots radioed that someone had torn open packaging on personal breathing equipment in the cockpit.
After a delay, the plane was cleared for takeoff. Pilots soon were forced to return to Milwaukee, however, because tampering had caused an oxygen tank to leak in an overhead passenger compartment. Later, a mechanic found that someone had opened a valve on a fire extinguisher, depleting it.
When Hirtzinger returned to Minneapolis, the airline suspended him and seized his credentials.
After spending the night in jail, Hirtzinger sat quietly during in court Thursday.
U.S. Magistrate J. Earl Cudd imposed several conditions on Hirtzinger's release and ordered him to appear in court again Tuesday. He then will be taken to Milwaukee, where he will be prosecuted.
While the sabotage is in no way related to terrorism, it does have to do with the security of the nation's aviation system, Tom Heffelfinger, U.S. attorney in Minnesota, said Thursday.
"It's a federal offense in the truest sense of the word," he said. "We take allegations like this very seriously."
Pinnacle Airlines, which operates commuter flights to and from Northwest hubs in Minneapolis, Detroit and Memphis, said it will continue to assist authorities.
"Nothing is more important to Pinnacle Airlines than the safety and security of its passengers, employees and aircraft," spokesman Philip Reed said in a prepared statement. "Pinnacle has conducted an inspection of its entire fleet, and no further issues have been found."
Joy Powell, Star Tribune December 24, 2004 TAMPER1224
OAS_AD('Button20');
On Thursday, federal prosecutors charged a Chaska man who works for Pinnacle Airlines, which operates as Northwest Airlink, with damaging the safety and emergency equipment on 14 flights, including some in and out of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
Many of the flights were delayed or canceled.
The felony charge against Steven R. Hirtzinger, 23, came after an internal investigation by Pinnacle, which has its headquarters in Memphis.
The frequency of the sabotage incidents -- which began in August and continued through Wednesday -- had been increasing as Christmas neared.
The complaint against Hirtzinger, filed in Milwaukee, charges him with causing a plane to become inoperable.
It said he tampered with an array of equipment, including fire extinguishers, oxygen tanks and breathing apparatus that would be used by pilots in emergencies.
This week, Pinnacle security officials set up a sting after a series of the schedule-ruining incidents, which shared a common denominator: 13 out of 14 happened when Hirtzinger was the sole flight attendant, according to court papers.
The only tampering incident that was discovered when Hirtzinger was not on duty involved a plane that he had flown on shortly before, the complaint said.
FBI agents arrested Hirtzinger at his home Wednesday night. He has been suspended from his job and is banned from airports.
His attorney, Fred Bruno, said that Hirtzinger will plead not guilty and that he had reported the equipment problems to a supervisor.
"Where's the motive?" defense attorney Julie Loftus, who works with Bruno, asked after Hirtzinger's initial appearance in U. S. District Court in Minneapolis on Thursday.
Court papers described the sting:
On Wednesday, a mechanic with GearBuck Services, a company that provides maintenance services to Pinnacle, examined the equipment on a plane scheduled to fly from Milwaukee to New York.
Everything was intact before Hirtzinger boarded the plane.
But 80 minutes later, as the plane prepared for takeoff, pilots radioed that someone had torn open packaging on personal breathing equipment in the cockpit.
After a delay, the plane was cleared for takeoff. Pilots soon were forced to return to Milwaukee, however, because tampering had caused an oxygen tank to leak in an overhead passenger compartment. Later, a mechanic found that someone had opened a valve on a fire extinguisher, depleting it.
When Hirtzinger returned to Minneapolis, the airline suspended him and seized his credentials.
After spending the night in jail, Hirtzinger sat quietly during in court Thursday.
U.S. Magistrate J. Earl Cudd imposed several conditions on Hirtzinger's release and ordered him to appear in court again Tuesday. He then will be taken to Milwaukee, where he will be prosecuted.
While the sabotage is in no way related to terrorism, it does have to do with the security of the nation's aviation system, Tom Heffelfinger, U.S. attorney in Minnesota, said Thursday.
"It's a federal offense in the truest sense of the word," he said. "We take allegations like this very seriously."
Pinnacle Airlines, which operates commuter flights to and from Northwest hubs in Minneapolis, Detroit and Memphis, said it will continue to assist authorities.
"Nothing is more important to Pinnacle Airlines than the safety and security of its passengers, employees and aircraft," spokesman Philip Reed said in a prepared statement. "Pinnacle has conducted an inspection of its entire fleet, and no further issues have been found."
