Reportedly Attempted To Open Emergency Door In Flight

An Austin, TX man has been indicted on charges that he tried to cause an airliner to crash by attempting to open one of the airplane's emergency exits in flight.

According to a news release from Edward L. Stanton III, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, Randolph B. Robinson, 63, of Austin, TX, was indicted on two counts related to his actions on board an AirTran flight between Baltimore, MD and Austin Monday.

Robinson is charged with knowingly and willfully attempting to damage, destroy, disable and wreck an aircraft, specifically, AirTran Airways Flight 265, by attempting to open exits while the aircraft was in flight.

Robinson is also charged with knowingly interfering with the duties of the flight crew by attempting to open the rear exit doors of the aircraft while in flight. The indictment alleges that his actions caused the flight attendants to be forced to physically remove him from the doors and that the flight crew was forced to divert the aircraft to Memphis.

If convicted, Robinson faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and supervised release of up to five years for each count. This case was investigated by the Joint Terrorism Task Force, which is led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and comprised of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Frederick Godwin is representing the government.

FMI: www.justice.gov/usao/tnw/index.html