'Hell Flight': How a Wall Street banker turned a plane into a public toilet

In the 1990s, safety measures in passenger aviation were not very strict. Passengers were forgiven many liberties, for which today an airplane can be forced to land and the police called. And unpleasant situations did not arise so often - people were more disciplined and simpler. That is why the incident that occurred during flight 976 from Buenos Aires to New York on the night of October 19-20, 1995, shocked the crew and outraged society.

The events began to unfold even before the plane took off. One of the first-class passengers decided to treat himself to a couple of glasses of champagne. The alcohol quickly took effect, and when the plane taxied to the runway, the lover of sparkling wine was already demanding to be moved to the service area for the crew to rest. He refused to sit in his rightful place, claiming that it was "smoky."

The stewardess politely refused the passenger, to which he reacted inadequately. He began to pace the cabin, cursing at the flight attendants. In passing, the troublemaker snatched a bottle of champagne from the cart, and the steward's attempt to take it away was unsuccessful. When the plane took off, the passenger seemed to have been calmed down. He gave the bottle back and even took his assigned seat.

But the peace in first class did not last long. Soon the passenger demanded red wine. The crew members were afraid to give the troublemaker alcohol, but they were even more afraid of a new scandal. So they brought the man some wine. But the glass did not satisfy him - the hooligan snatched the whole bottle from the stewardess and put it next to himself. There was no reaction to this. Thanks to the restraint of the crew, silence finally reigned in the cabin.

It was time for lunch, and the troublemaker ate his food calmly. He washed it down with wine from a trophy bottle, and this led to a rapid escalation. Suddenly, the passenger jumped up, ran through the cabin, and, pushing aside the curtain of the galley, disappeared into the service area. The stewardess, who hurried after him, saw how the offender climbed onto the drinks cart, pulled down his pants, and dumped a whole bunch of drinks.

After the incident, the troublemaker calmly got off the cart, stepped in his own excrement, and headed to the first-class toilet. Having locked himself inside, he refused to come out, despite all the persuasion of the crew. While one part of the crew argued with the man through the door, the other eliminated the consequences of his performance. The feces were removed, and they tried to muffle the terrible smell by spraying perfume throughout the cabin. In the end, the wild passenger was lured out of the toilet and led by the arms to his seat. There he immediately fell asleep, which caused a sigh of relief among all the first-class passengers.

The captain had already requested an emergency landing in the capital of Puerto Rico, San Juan, but was denied. The flight was carrying Portuguese President Mario Soares and Argentine Foreign Minister Guido Di Tella. They were in a hurry because they were heading to the ceremonial events in honor of the 50th anniversary of the UN. In addition, San Juan decided that it would not be able to ensure the safety of the politicians.

By the time the plane landed at the New York airport, the troublemaker was fast asleep. As soon as the plane stopped, security officers and FBI agents burst into the cabin. They quickly and roughly subdued the troublemaker. Now it's time to tell who this troublesome first-class passenger was. No, he wasn't a punk rock star or an eccentric hard-drinking artist.

The "asshole" turned out to be respectable 52-year-old banker Gerard Finneran. An impeccable family man and CEO of a Wall Street investment firm, a graduate of the US Air Force Academy and a prestigious business school, Finneran had never been seen in anything like this before.

At the police station, Finneran made elaborate and ridiculous excuses. By this point, most of the alcohol had left his system, and the banker was incredibly ashamed of his behavior. At first, he flatly denied any involvement in the crime. Then he changed his story and said that diarrhea was to blame.

Finneran named the President of Portugal as the indirect culprit of his outrageous act. According to the detainee, the politician's security did not let him into the nearest toilet, which is why he allegedly went through the cabin to another one, but "did not report it." These excuses looked ridiculous, and the businessman himself understood this very well.

Gerard's case went to trial, and as expected, he was found guilty. Finneran was fined $5,000 and ordered to perform 300 hours of community service. He also had to pay for dry cleaning of the plane's interior, as well as reimburse passengers for their tickets. The total amount was a hefty $50,000.

Unfortunately, history is silent about the reaction of Portuguese President Soares to what happened. Gerard Finneran became a celebrity, although, as you understand, he was not happy with his fame. He died in 2004 from Alzheimer's disease. In recent years, the banker was actively involved in social and charitable activities.

This story is a vivid example of how one immoderate weakness can have serious consequences. Today, such an incident would probably cause even greater public outcry, given how strict the rules of conduct on board have become. What do you think, are modern safety measures in aviation justified, or do they sometimes go beyond the bounds of reason? Share your opinion in the comments!