Well, this is awkward.
An off-duty pilot for Envoy Air, a subsidiary of American, went on an unexpected rant while traveling with American Airlines, according to Inside Edition. After landing in Chicago, uncomfortable passengers were forced to listen to the pilot on the plane’s PA system. Presenting the rant as an Evangelical Christian “testimony,” the pilot talked about his struggle to accept his sexual orientation.
“I was raped or molested as a young boy and left to deal with it alone,” the pilot says at the start of a trending recording of the speech. “I even started thinking of ways to end my life.”
Passengers on the flight, which originated in Washington, D.C., were then forcibly informed about more of the pilot’s life. For instance, the pilot went on to say that he became a sex addict and suicidal. The pilot also confessed to getting married because he wanted to be straight and later cheating on his wife with men.
“Every aspect of my life was filled with lies. My life spiraling out of control,” the pilot added.
A passenger then tried to stop the pilot and he said in response, “I am sorry if you are uncomfortable. I just want you to hear me out.”
“I don’t give a s—, bro,” another person yelled out from another section of the plane. “Just let me off this damn plane.”
According to Toronto Today, American Airlines recently released a statement about the viral video. They say the moment happened back on June 15.
The pilot “accessed the public address system upon landing and made troubling comments until a crew member could intervene. To our affected passengers, we apologize for your experience and what you heard does not reflect our values,” the statement reads.
Veteran pilot Steve Cowell then told Inside Edition that, “This was nothing more than a very, very public cry for help.”
Source: Inside Edition, Toronto Today,
This is very sad, and I hope he gets the help he clearly needs. Until then, his employer and the FAA must intervene and ground him. All one needs to do is look at the Germanwings crash in France a few years ago to see how a poor mental state and control of an airliner is not a good mix. I pray for him and his family.
He’s obviously someone so tortured by the church that was supposed to love him. He’s a gay man who was preyed upon as a little boy and his church convinced him it made him gay. He’s full of self-loathing and he will never be happy until he embraces his authentic self. I don’t have a lot of sympathy for him because I can only imagine the way he’s treated other gay people.
It’s all fun and games until one of our gays decides to go rogue
This is such a sad story, I honestly feel bad for the gay pilot, I hope he finds some help and gets better.