Once the Gator's Out of the Bag | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

 Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-12.08.25

AirborneNextGen-
12.09.25

Airborne-Unlimited-12.10.25

Airborne-AffordableFlyers-12.11.25

AirborneUnlimited-12.12.25

AFE 2025 LIVE MOSAIC Town Hall (Archived): www.airborne-live.net

Tue, Oct 28, 2003

Once the Gator's Out of the Bag

...or, 'Gentlemen, Please Control Your Reptiles.'

A passenger aboard yesterday's American Airlines Flight 776 [usually a 767-300, though early reports don't say, or enumerate the number of souls on board --ed.] is fond of alligators. So fond, in fact, that he had three of the critters, plus a crocodile, with him on the flight.

They were in the pressurized baggage hold, with their jaws bound, and in cages. They were also in burlap sacks, to protect both the 'gators and others who might be near.

However, when the baggage handlers went to unload the plane in Newark (NJ) after its flight from Miami (FL), they couldn't help but notice that 'Houdini' [OK -- we named him --ed.] had gotten himself loose, and was roaming about the compartment. Fortunately, his mouth was still securely bound.

After a moment of what must have been near-panic, the pros on the ground, aided by animal control officers, lassoed the errant Floridian and got him back into his cage.

Nobody was injured, and the alligator was not hurt.

['Gator courtesy San Diego Natural History Museum and Kokoro Dinosaurs --ed.]

FMI: www.aa.com

Advertisement

More News

Aero-News: Quote of the Day (12.11.25)

"The owners envisioned something modern and distinctive, yet deeply meaningful. We collaborated closely to refine the flag design so it complemented the aircraft’s contours w>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (12.11.25): Nonradar Arrival

Nonradar Arrival An aircraft arriving at an airport without radar service or at an airport served by a radar facility and radar contact has not been established or has been termina>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: David Uhl and the Lofty Art of Aircraft Portraiture

From 2022 (YouTube Edition): Still Life with Verve David Uhl was born into a family of engineers and artists—a backdrop conducive to his gleaning a keen appreciation for the >[...]

Airborne-NextGen 12.09.25: Amazon Crash, China Rocket Accident, UAV Black Hawk

Also: Electra Goes Military, Miami Air Taxi, Hypersonics Lab, MagniX HeliStrom Amazon’s Prime Air drones are back in the spotlight after one of its newest MK30 delivery drone>[...]

Airborne 12.05.25: Thunderbird Ejects, Lost Air india 737, Dynon Update

Also: Trailblazing Aviator Betty Stewart, Wind Farm Scrutiny, Chatham Ban Overturned, Airbus Shares Dive A Thunderbird pilot, ID'ed alternately as Thunderbird 5 or Thunderbird 6, (>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Change Display

Headlines Only | Headlines w/ Teasers | View Everything

Advertisement

Top Videos

Airborne 10.03.25: Phantom 3500 Buy, ‘Chinese Military Company’, NOTAM Redesign

Airborne Affordable Flyers 10.02.25: MOSAIC Start Date, AFE25 Tickets, ePulitzer

Airborne 10.01.25: New Gulfstream G300, Affordable Flying Expo Tkts, Starship 11

See All

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC