I heard some rumor a while back about some bigshot on an airplane who got angry and went a little nuts - and supposedly yanked down his pants and took a dump on the beverage cart. I more or less assumed that this had to be an exaggeration but I thought I’d ask and get da straight dope.
Did that really happen?
JunrGatr
Was it the CEO of Pampers?
-S
It’s been said several people have done this. Check on http://www.snopes.com , they’ll probably have it.
Unruly Passengers Pose Growing Problem for Airlines
I have only heard of this single incident. Stand-up comics and other humorists have begun treating it as an epidemic.
Also interesting: Some of Elliott Neal Hester’s columns at Salon.
Including:
Flying in the age of air rage.
“Air rage” is much more of an issue in the UK. This might be because of the comparative cheapness of flights within Europe, the popularity of cheap Mediterranean holiday packages and the availability of free alcohol on flights. There have been a number of (over) publicised incidents in the last year or two, and the government seems to see it as an easy points-scoring opportunity – from the BBC, 6 July 2000.
From tomndeb’s link:
I didn’t find the reference on snopes.
Here’s a more detailed news story about the Gerard Finneran incident: Connecticut Banker Gets Probation in Drunken Rage on Aircraft. He denies defecating on the food cart, but admits “soiling himself” due to a case of diarrhea. Apparently the President of Portugal made him do it.
David Letterman’s Top-ten list for 27 Oct. 1995 was Gerard Finneran Excuses