Airline mechanic charged with sabotaging plane that had 150 people onboard

Mechanic was upset over stalled contract negotiations

An American Airlines employee has been charged with sabotage (Getty Images)

An American Airlines mechanic has been charged with tampering with a plane’s navigation system before it was due to take off with 150 people onboard.

The jet was due to fly from Miami, Florida, to Nassau, Bahamas, when the sabotage was discovered.

When the the plane’s engines were powered up, an error message was triggered in the cockpit.

The airline mechanic, Abdul-Majeed Marouf Ahmed Alani, was upset over stalled union contract negotiations, according to a court affidavit.

As a result, the plane aborted its take-off and was taken out of service, reports the Miami Herald. No one was injured.

According to court documents, Alani glued foam inside a tube in the nose gear that would block the aircraft’s navigation system. If the plane had taken off, the pilots would have had to fly the plane manually.

The mechanic’s intention was not to cause harm to passengers or the aircraft – rather to cause a flight delay or cancellation so he could work overtime.

Alani is charged with “willfully damaging, destroying or disabling an aircraft” and will appear in court in Miami today.

An American Airlines spokesperson confirmed to The Independent: “On July 17, flight 2834 from Miami to Nassau, Bahamas, returned to the gate due to a maintenance issue. Passengers boarded a new aircraft which then re-departed for Nassau.

“At American we have an unwavering commitment to the safety and security of our customers and team members and we are taking this matter very seriously.

“At the time of the incident, the aircraft was taken out of service, maintenance was performed and after an inspection to ensure it was safe the aircraft was returned to service. American immediately notified federal law enforcement who took over the investigation with our full cooperation.”