FAA Harasses Delta Passenger for Filming Bird Strike

A Delta passenger who filmed birds striking his plane over New York City's John F. Kennedy International airport received a scathing letter from the Federal Aviation Administration condemning his use of an electronic during flight takeoff.


Grant Cardone, 54, became a viral hit after posting a video of birds being sucked into the engine of his Los Angeles-bound Delta flight on April 19. The plane was forced to turn back to the airport and landed safely, the New York Post reports.


Soon afterward, Cardone received an official letter from the FAA complaining the video was taken illegally because he used his iPad to film the strike, and use of portable electronic devices is prohibited during "critical" phases of a flight, such as takeoffs. Electronic devices also cannot be used during an in-flight emergency.
"Your failure to comply with flight attendant instructions during a critical phase of flight and an aircraft emergency could have affected the safe outcome of the flight," the letter says.

Source: Fox News (read the entire article)

Hat Tip: Drudge Report


Full incident audio recorded from the Internet:





Here is an excerpt of what I posted on Facebook regarding this incident:

I wonder if the Federal Aviation Administration realizes that there are tens of thousands of videos on Youtube documenting every phase of flight? Why are they harassing this guy?

WHy did they not come out and attack the people who filmed shuttle launches from planes http://is.gd/Mb5UF9 Takeoffs http://is.gd/takeoff and even landings http://is.gd/landings even other birdstrikes have been filmed without FAA harrassment http://is.gd/birdstrikes

Why pick on this guy and not the others? What makes him different?

Here are other videos of bird strikes, takeoffs and landings. There are also pilots who film their own flights, so what is the big deal about this? The pilots and crew all behaved in a professional manner. I suspect it has more to do with an idiot bureaucrat who needed to intimidate someone to make his (or her) life just a little bit more bearable.

If anything, these videos bring to light the skill and professionalism of the pilots and air traffic controllers and the letter to the passenger who filmed the bird strike reveals a petty and arrogant federal bureaucracy.