Turns out the hijack alert sent out by Virgin Australia flight VA41, the closing of Bali airport and the arrest of Brisbane passenger Matt Lockley late yesterday were all down to a big misunderstanding: Mr Lockley thought the plane’s cockpit was the toilet.
The flight from Brisbane made news headlines yesterday evening when it made an emergency touchdown at Denpasar after Mr Lockley reportedly tried to gain access to the cockpit. The 28-year-old plumber was arrested by the Indonesian military and spent the night in custody, but today told Bali police he wasn’t drunk and had only consumed pain medication and soft drinks prior to boarding the flight.
A spokesman for Bali police said “He thought the cockpit was the toilet — he thought he was banging on the door to the toilet.”
Mr Lockley remains in hospital while police decide whether they will charge him with endangering flight safety, a charge that can carry a two year prison sentence or a 500 million rupiah (AUD$50,000) fine.
