Mother and daughter attacked pilot in cockpit after row over buggy, court hears

A mother and daughter attacked an airline pilot in his cockpit after they were not allowed to store a baby carrier in the cabin, a court has heard.

Mary Roberts, 53, and 23-year-old Henrietta Mitaiare allegedly pushed Captain Guido Keel to the floor, then scratched and kicked him after their flight arrived at Heathrow Airport last May.

The two women were travelling from Zurich to London with Mitaiare’s young daughter when a “tussle” broke out, Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court heard.

Mitaiare asked a flight attendant to put her buggy in the cabin rather than the aircraft hold as the pushchair was “too expensive”, the hearing was told.

Two members of airport staff then arrived and argued with Mitaiare before her mother “stepped in to calm her daughter down”, it was claimed.

Prosecutor Arlene De Silva said that as passengers disembarked at Heathrow, Mitaiare approached one of the staff members again as she wanted to make a complaint.

This prompted Capt Keel to come out from the cockpit, the prosecutor added.

“[Mitaiare] grabbed the captain by the hand and pushed him into the cockpit,” Ms De Silva said.

“There was a tussle. She ended up on top of the captain.

“The mother also went into the cockpit and was kicking the captain while he was on the floor, saying ‘Get off my daughter’.”

Capt Keel sustained scratches to his face and arm and a bite on his upper arm, Ms De Silva said.

Cabin manager Ali Chkerdaa told the court Mitaiare had approached him when the plane had landed at Heathrow and there was a “back and forth” before Capt Keel came out of the cockpit.

“She said something (to Capt Keel) like, ‘Don’t meddle with it, you have nothing to do with it’,” Mr Chkerdaa said.

“She said Swiss people are racist, because she was a black woman travelling with a child.

“(Capt Keel) said, ‘We have to stop it, could you please step outside.’ She said, ‘Don’t touch me’. The moment he touched her she went all crazy.”

The court was shown footage in which Mitaiare is heard saying: “Why did you put your hands on me? Why did you hit a woman? Do you think you have the power,” to which Capt Keel responds: “I have the power”.

Mr Chkerdaa said the pair then began fighting and fell into the cockpit, prompting Roberts to become involved.

He added: “The mother pushed me to the side and went behind. She said, ‘Don’t touch my baby’ – kicking with one foot. I think she was trying to kick the captain.”

Friedrich Prieler, the co-pilot of the aircraft, said he had been hesitant to use force to break up the struggle.

“It was a problem for me because she was a woman,” he said. “I was quite passive because she was a woman.”

When asked if Capt Keel had failed to show similar restraint, Mr Prieler made reference to the Tokyo Convention, which grants certain immunities for captains on their aircraft if they believe there is a threat to the safety of persons onboard.

Mr Prieler said: “He used force only to make her not able to move any more, he was not punching. He used his weight advantage.”

Mitaiare, of South Kensington, west London, and Roberts, of Fulham, west London, were removed from the aircraft by police and arrested on 2 May last year.

The women are charged with failing to obey the lawful commands of the aircraft’s captain and assault by beating on board.

They deny the charges.

The trial continues.

(c) Sky News 2020: Mother and daughter attacked pilot in cockpit after row over buggy, court hears