Federal Express Jet Lands Safely After Worker Attacks Crew

MEMPHIS — A Federal Express employee armed with a hammer and a spear gun attacked the flight crew of a company cargo plane Thursday before the crew wrestled him to the floor and safely landed the plane.

Three people aboard the DC-10, including the attacker, were critically hurt, and a fourth suffered less serious injuries, said Rick Roberts of the Regional Medical Center in Memphis.

Airport Authority President Larry Cox said the crew members suffered head and body injuries.

“They were very bloody,” Cox said. “It looked like they had been in an explosion or a film you would see of Vietnam. . . . It must have been hand-to-hand combat.”

The attacker was a company pilot but not a member of the plane’s crew, said officials of Federal Express, which allows its employees to ride free if room is available.

An FBI agent said the assailant would be held on federal charges of attacking an aircraft crew. His motive was unclear. The plane was bound for San Jose, Calif.