Let Me Off This Plane or I’ll Chute
This Weeks Wacky Wednesday Let Me Off This Plane or Ill Chute
In December of 2020, Antonio Murdock and Brianna Grego of Florida were on a Delta flight headed to Atlanta out of LaGuardia Airport in New York. They were traveling with their Great Dane puppy named Rain. Normally, this wouldn’t be a story that devolves into legal problems, but if that were the case, you wouldn’t be reading it here, would you? No, this case devolves into strangeness rather quickly.
What Happened?
As the couples’ plane was on the runway getting ready to leave, Murdock became panicked for some reason and he wanted off the plane no matter what. Witnesses say that he forced open a door in the cabin and jumped out on the emergency chute that deployed. He slid down the chute to momentary freedom, quickly followed by Greco and Rain.
Murdock claims that he was suffering from a panic attack and that he requested he be let off the plane several times. He says he was told that they were going to stop the plane, but they didn’t. After starting to feel dizzy and feeling the panic attack growing stronger, he opened the door. He said that he was not aware there was a chute and thought he was just walking through a regular door.
Before the fast exit, a witness said that the couple had been changing seats since the flight was not full. The witness also said that Murdock stood up and did not listen to the flight attendant when he was ordered to take a seat so the plane could take off. He told the flight attendant that he had post-traumatic stress disorder and that if he sat down, he would freak out.
The flight attendant corroborates this story and said that shortly thereafter, Murdock pushed past her and opened the emergency exit. The couple and the dog slid away right after.
Because of the situation, the plane had to return to the gate and the passengers were then put onto different flights.
After sliding down the chute, the couple was taken into custody. They’re charged with trespassing, criminal mischief, and other crimes. Murdock was released without bail and Greco was released on a desk appearance ticket. Rain was taken to an animal shelter.
Panic attacks can be serious, and they can cause people to do some strange things, sometimes to their own detriment. It will be interesting to see how everything pans out, and we can all hope that Rain gets to a good home, whether that’s with the current owners or not. Hopefully, Murdock gets help for his panic attacks if that’s truly what happened in this case.
Not the First to Slide the Chute
This couple and their dog are not the first to slide down a chute unexpectedly, although it’s likely that Rain was the cutest to do so. In 2010, a man named Steven Slater decided to take the chute after the plane had landed at Kennedy Airport. However, the interesting twist here is that Slater was not a passenger. Instead, he was a flight attendant for JetBlue. He was having a bad day and got onto the plane’s PA system to swear at a passenger he said was rude. He then grabbed a beer and slid down the chute and into what is probably one of the most epic ways to end your career as a flight attendant.
The moral of the story is that you should try to keep your cool on an airplane whether you are a passenger or a flight attendant. Also, you probably shouldn’t take the chute unless it’s an actual emergency, otherwise, you will end up in an article like this.