May 16, 2008 7:43 am US/Central
Flight Attendant Accused Of Setting Fire On Plane
FARGO, N.D. (AP) ―
A flight attendant angry about his work route set a fire in an
airplane bathroom, forcing an emergency landing, authorities said.
The Compass Airlines flight carrying 72 passengers and four crew
members landed safely in Fargo on May 7 after smoke filled the back. No
injuries were reported. The plane was flying from Minneapolis to
Regina, Saskatchewan, authorities said.
Eder Rojas, 19, appeared in court Thursday, following his arrest a
day earlier in Minneapolis, and ordered held without bail, prosecutors
said. The charge of setting fire aboard a civil aircraft carries a
maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
His public defender did not return a phone call seeking comment.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lynn Jordheim, who is prosecuting the case in
Fargo, would not comment.
Court documents said Rojas, of the Twin Cities suburb of Woodbury,
told authorities he was upset at the airline for making him work the
route.
"Rojas further stated that he was preparing his cart to serve the
passengers, he set the cart up, went back to the lavatory and reached
in with his right hand and lit the paper towels with the lighter,"
court documents said.
Pilot Steve Peterka told authorities that an indicator light came on
about 35 minutes into the flight, showing smoke in the rear bathroom.
Peterka called Rojas, who was assigned passengers in the back of the
plane, and asked him to check the bathroom, documents said. Rojas,
another flight attendant and a passenger were credited with quickly
putting out the flames with fire extinguishers, authorities said.
Investigators later found a lighter in one of the overhead bins.
Rojas confessed after authorities interviewed him, the complaint said.
Compass is a subsidiary of Northwest Airlines, based in Eagan, Minn.
Rojas has been fired, said Northwest spokesman Rob Laughlin. Northwest
did not say how long Rojas worked for the airline.
FBI agent Ralph Boelter said Compass Airlines officials showed "extraordinary cooperation" in the investigation.
(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
