JetBlue flight attendant incident

JetBlue Flight 1052

A JetBlue Embraer 190, similar to that of Flight 1052
Incident summary
Date	August 9, 2010
Summary	Flight attendant altercation
Site	John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York City
Passengers	100
Crew	4
Survivors	104 (all)
Aircraft type	Embraer 190
Operator	JetBlue Airways
Registration	N274JB
Flight origin	Pittsburgh International Airport
Destination	John F. Kennedy International Airport

The JetBlue flight attendant incident was an altercation that occurred after JetBlue Airlines Flight 1052, a flight from Pittsburgh to New York City on August 9, 2010, had landed. The incident garnered significant media attention when, upon landing, Steven Slater, a flight attendant having been in the industry for 28 years, announced over the plane's public address system that he had been abused by a passenger and that he quit his job. He then grabbed two beers and exited the plane by deploying the evacuation slide and sliding down it. Slater claimed to have been injured by a passenger when he instructed her to sit down. Slater's account of the event was not corroborated by others.

Slater claimed that as JetBlue Flight 1052 taxied to a stop, a passenger stood up too early to retrieve her bag from the overhead compartment. She had been instructed repeatedly to remain seated. Despite this, the passenger continued to remove the bag, and in doing so, she hit Slater in the head with the bag. When asked for an apology, the passenger responded with profanity.Port Authority Police concluded Slater's initial account of a confrontation was fabricated. As early as August 13, investigators stated none of the dozens of passengers interviewed about the incident had corroborated his account.

Hilary Baribeau, a 21-year-old student, has denied reports she is the passenger. She claims that the only incident she recalled had involved a man a few rows back who tried to retrieve his case early, stating: "I saw the male steward get up and say, 'please sit down and wait', and then the female stewardess, said 'Please wait, please wait until the light has turned off.'"

A passenger reported that Slater went on the plane's public address system and used his own profanities, concluding, "I've been in this business 20 years. And that's it, I'm done." He then activated the emergency inflatable slide and exited the plane.

Later that day, Slater was arrested and charged with criminal mischief, reckless endangerment, and criminal trespass, to which he pleaded not guilty.