Yesterday’s article “On plane, squash to the rescue” [News, Page 1] contained a number of inaccuracies regarding the role of squash team member David Herbert, also Managing News Editor of The Daily, in restraining a passenger trying to open an emergency exit door mid-flight.

The Stanford men’s and women’s squash teams were returning from a tournament at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, when passenger Erin Lambert fought with flight attendants and passengers and tried to open the cabin door at 30,000 feet. Telling flight attendants aboard United Airlines Flight 179 from Boston to San Francisco that she was calling 911 because the plane was being hijacked, Lambert reportedly said “I’m getting off the aircraft,” according to an affidavit written by FBI Special Agent Gilhooly.

The article reported that Herbert “became suspicious” and “jumped into action” to help restrain the unruly passenger. The story went on to describe a verbal exchange between Lambert and Herbert, ending with Lambert being subdued with the help of “several other passengers,” before being handcuffed and moved to an aisle seat in the middle of the aircraft.

But according to a passenger who contacted The Daily yesterday, Herbert’s actions actually were detrimental to the restraining efforts. Herbert, the passenger said, aggravated the situation and got in the way of an otherwise controlled exchange.

The passenger, who asked not to be named because of pending criminal investigation against Lambert, also told The Daily that Herbert verbally abused Lambert while other passengers worked to restrain her.

Upon hearing the other passenger’s recollection of the events, Herbert said that he had enjoyed a couple of drinks on the flight and reacted instinctively, unaware of the flight crew’s actions in the confrontation with Lambert. He admitted he played no role in subduing the passenger. He retracted his previous comments and apologized for the story’s incorrect portrayal of his actions.

Because he provided an inaccurate account of the incident and because of his senior editorial position, The Daily has suspended Herbert for the duration of Volume 230. The Daily regrets the errors, and apologizes to its readers for the violation of trust that occurred. The Daily takes these matters seriously, and is committed to the ideals of fairness, accuracy and journalistic integrity in its reporting.

For an excellent independent analysis of the situation by Public Editor Whitney Sado, please read her report here: http://www.stanforddaily.com/article/2007/1/26/publicEditorWhitneySadosReport