Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Pilot for Dutch low cost carrier arrested for his role in Argentine "death flights"
We've heard of pilots being removed from their plane because they were drunk, but today's news is slightly more disturbing. Pilot Juan Alberto Poch was about to fly back to Amsterdam when Spanish police removed him from his Transavia plane because of his involvement in the Argentine "dirty war" between 1976 and 1983.
An Argentine court had issued an arrest warrant for Mr. Poch, and he'll be deported so he can answer the allegations brought against him.
These allegations are quite horrible. As part of the dirty war, Mr. Poch flew "death flights". These flights were performed under the disguise of "prisoner transports", but in reality, the passengers were drugged, and dropped out of the plane plummeting to their death in the ocean. In total, up to 30,000 people disappeared, and many of them may have been killed when pushed out of one of these flights.
The airline had been informed of the arrest, and had prepared a backup pilot to minimize the inconvenience to its passengers. The pilot had been working for Transavia since 1988 and never raised any suspicions.
Reader Comments (Page 4 of 4)
travelergtoo Sep 24th 2009 7:59PM
What about U.S. pilots who dropped napalm bombs in Vienam and burned alive thousands of women and children.
Larry R Sep 27th 2009 2:38PM
Reading Grand Nationals Comment brings something to mind i,ve been considering for a long while. Maybe this foolish belief that somehow evil people eventually get there 'just deserts' is just that, a foolish belief. Just another B.S. line we come up with to rashionalize not doing something about those people who do wrong to others in this world. Someone else in this blog mentioned Pol Pot. He was responsible for thousands of murders in Cambodia/Laos. I was really pissed when I read not too long ago that he died of natural causes being old in a hut in the jungle while being guarded, protected by people whom, i guess must have felt he was some kind of hero. I think as long as misguided people continue to believe that some unseen force of good is out there dishing out punishment to evil people or that they will eventually pay for their misdeeds in the next life and hold these people accountable for what they do NOW!!! We will continue to be there victims, and the world will continue it's downward spiral. What about all those people in the financial debacle that had no problem with taking our country to the brink of destruction. Oh, well, lets not dwell in the past and persue(sp) those unpatriotic aholes and put them in prison where they belong. Please give me a break, my God how long will it take to figure this out!
cybersense Sep 26th 2009 8:26AM
You know.... it makes me wonder if this guy really had a choice, other than to die of course, or do it? I am not trying to dismiss what he did at all. But, if he was ordered to do this....or else. It doesn't make it right, and how could you live with yourself?