Former flight attendant sentenced for setting fire in an airplane

Tue, 2011-12-20 08:21 AM By: Mark Rockwell
A disgruntled flight attendant who set a fire in an airplane’s lavatory in 2008 on a flight to Canada, got a six-year prison sentence on Dec. 16.

Eder Rojas, 23, was sentenced by a federal judge on the charge of setting an aircraft on fire. He was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $98,408 and a $100 special assessment to the Crime Victim’s Fund. A charge of failure to appear was dismissed as part of the plea agreement in the matter.

Rojas was originally scheduled for trial in September 2008 and had been placed in a halfway house in Fargo, ND, pending that court date. But on the eve of his trial, he fled to Mexico. The FBI and U.S. Marshals caught up with him and returned him to North Dakota last August.

Rojas pleaded guilty in September to setting fire to the Compass Airlines aircraft about 35 minutes into the flight originating in Minneapolis, MN, on May 7, 2008. The Embraer 175 regional jet aircraft was operating under a contract to Northwest Airlines.

Rojas was working as a flight attendant on the plane, which was traveling to Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, and carrying approximately 72 passengers and four crew members, said the FBI. The aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing in Fargo, ND as a result of the fire. Associated Press reports said the aircraft had to make an emergency decent from 30,000 feet. There were no injuries in the incident.

The Associated Press also reported that about five weeks prior to the Minneapolis/Saskatchewan flight, Rojas had worked on another flight that suffered a fire in a lavatory. That flight had made an emergency landing in Wisconsin. The AP noted, however, that law enforcement hadn’t linked that fire to Rojas.
In an interview, Rojas admitted to law enforcement agents that he had intentionally used a lighter and paper towels to in the rear bathroom of the Minneapolis/Saskatchewan flight to start the fire. He indicated he started it because he was upset with the airline for making him work on the Minneapolis/Saskatchewan route, said the FBI.

“Securing the safety of air travelers in the United States is an important mission of law enforcement,” stated U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon. “The sentence imposed in this case should send the message that those who tamper with that safety will pay the price.”

http://www.gsnmagazine.com/node/2528...ation_security