Sara, was he the first officer or the captain? I discussed that event in my research ...but never knew the pilot's names. This adds more to the profile if he were the person at the controls.
Hi Karlene, Molin was the first officer, but he was at the controls. Everyone who reported to me that he was a horrific human being and predator also made a huge point of saying that the captain, Ed states, was a gem, a gentleman, a wonderful aviator, and kind to everyone from ground staff to cabin crew to cockpit crew. He’s most certainly did not deserve what happened to him.
If this is true about his skills.... My question is this... Were they after him prior to the crash? Did he know the authorities were coming to get him? This could be more than stupidity, if what they say... he was a wonderful aviator... If that were true, then the question of why he broke the tail off may lead to a different reason. What was ongoing prior to the crash regarding legal action?
It was Captain Ed states who I’ve been told was a excellent aviator. Not Molin. If you get some spare time maybe a chunk of time and you’re on a flight or something, check the links on this latest story and go down the rabbit hole and read some of the comments flight attendants and pilots have left. It definitely takes some time and a lot of us don’t have I know, but You’ll see that Sten Molin was protected. There was really no sign that any authorities were coming for him; one pilot who tried to speak out during the investigation about molin’s crappy skills, was absolutely taken to the cleaners and smeared for daring ti criticize the “hero” pilot. the women flight attendants who tried to report molin assaulting and harassing them were told stay quiet, or feel free to go to the police where he raped you on that layover, (in Brazil? Really?) or victim-shamed or told they drank too much. You know the drill. this only came out publicly like this when I wrote that story about him in 2021, because I’m not sure if you know that he was a friend of mine and I thought he was a good guy like so many did . he led a double life. It’s kind of fascinating and sick at the same time , but check out the stories in the links I put up there and the comments and you’ll get a sense of what a mess this is.
Fascinating and sick ... I get that. I've thought about this in the same way with Delta that way. I know about his performance... I'll share more. But he was completely to blame for that crash... well... so was American Training department complicit, and the reason for SMS. Why should we cover up the bad guys behavior after they die. Hitler and Epsein were still horrific despite their deaths. Keep looking into this!
We need more like Karlene. The whole bro aviation world needs a MeToo moment just like the entertainment industry. Let’s weed these guys out. In fact many male dominated industries need a wake up call. Women shouldn’t be at the mercy of sexual predators while they are just trying to do their jobs.
It’s always a few bad apples that ruin it for everyone else they say. Reading these accounts it seems like the whole crate was rotten. American modified their training prior to Flight 587 to place less emphasis on the rudder. Apparently Molin didn’t get the memo. American was run by big macho military flyboys and Molin wanted to be one of them. You know the hard partying types bedding one FA after another? He wanted to keep up with that crowd. He took Jane Doe with him on flights as a sort of a trophy to be displayed because none of the FAs wanted to date Molin. It was all so disgusting and women were treated like chattel or trophies.
Spot on Karlene. if someone dies that doesn’t erase the harm they have caused to those still living. Take Jimmy Saville. It was only after his death that many of his victims came forward.
Eddie States was an excellent aviator who served his country, and deserved so much better than to have Molin as his FO. He left behind a wife and two young sons. RIP Eddie States. God Speed.
Captain Ed States was nothing like Mr Molin. He was a professional, competent, well respected pilot. I could provide further details about Captain States if the author here wishes to write about him at some stage in the future. This might be nice to differentiate two very different men.
This is interesting. I’d heard some of it but never heard there were enough remains to autopsy? There is a pilot (woman) over on LinkedIn digging her heels in that his being so disturbed has nothing to did with causing the crash. After hearing from so many in aviation over 2 years, I believe that question is absolutely valid.
Chief Pilot Cecil Ewell on unions and the reason why I decided to get out. This is from an interview he did a few years back but his attitude was much more antagonistic than he elucidates here. We all know Molin hated the union too. He was a company stooge and a snitch who buddied up to upper management because they looked the other way on his questionable behaviour. Molin was headed for upper management echelons if he played his cards right.
“Bob Baker would agree with me — that having the union is important. But I heartily disagree with the way business is being conducted there right now. I’ll admit that the company, American, isn’t perfect. But it’s an absurd thought that there’s some plot going on to break the union.”
Indeed. There was a plot for many years to disband the union.
Cecil Ewell died recently but nothing has really changed.
There were enough remains to do a full drug panel on both pilots. Molin’s test was positive for ephedrine and Pseudoephedrine. Both are chemically related to amphetamine. Some pilots would crush and snort these chemicals to get a high before flying. Called zingers they would be used on long haul flights and you could pass this off as having some sort of nasal congestion or allergy on the medical.
It’s called human factors. The Air France flight 447 guys, Bonin, Robert and Dubois, were also out partying down in Rio prior to that crash. They came onto the plane exhausted and planned to use the trip back to catch up on sleep. The captain I’ve heard from a good source who works for Air France was a known party hardy type. His mistress was on the flight and when things went pear shaped he was holed up with her in the crew rest area. It took him a good minute to reach the cockpit. It is appalling, depraved behaviour from pilots who know they have hundreds of lives in their hands. Pilots do take down planes and you can forgive a genuine mistake but the conduct on Molin’s part and the Air France guys is unforgivable.
You can’t tell me that having zingers or baby cocaine in your system won’t affect your performance. You can’t tell me that being a sexual deviant with kids hidden down in Australia won’t affect your performance in the cockpit. You can’t tell me that being up at strange hours of the night sending sexually inappropriate emails to FAs or keeping odd hours because you are sexually obsessed with a child down in Australia, or partying down in Rio with your mistress or being exhausted won’t effect your performance in the cockpit. The initial wake turbulence encounter was no big deal either and Molin flung the yoke around like it was a toy airplane. It was like a child was at the controls not an experienced pilot. He wigged out up there.
The tragedy is that Dubois’s wife had to learn of this too. Her husband was dead. He died with his mistress. His actions lead to the deaths of many people.
If these pilots had survived by some miracle they would have served jail time like Captain Michel Asseline of Air France Flight 296Q. Now in Asseline’s case it was a genuine mistake coupled with hubris. But a mistake. Molin, Dubois, Bonin and Robert, well you could make a case for criminal negligence.
Ewell was another flyboy. Big macho big man military type. He was Molin’s idol and Molin modelled himself after Ewell. Molin wanted to be top dog too and throw his weight around. He wanted to prove to everyone he was The Man. Someone to be reckoned with. Big on union busting. Big on crippling the union.
Sten Molin was a swine and a clear danger aided and abetted by an omnipotent and unaccountable corporation within which his deceit, bullying and calculated, sadistic cruelty went unchecked.
This case is a shocking example of a patriarchal playground where almost exclusively male `assets' known as pilots are allowed to roam free to assault flight attendants as they please while American sits idly by…
“Acting unsurprised, the captain told the women that while in the cockpit, Nelson "boasted of his sexual conquests with underage prostitutes ... and visits to strip clubs during layovers, even showing pictures he kept as mementos," the suit states.
The suit further alleges that on one trip, Nelson "imbibed so much while in uniform on the flight crew's shuttle that he drunkenly fell down and split his pants open.”
Sten Molin’s method of operation. All from the same playbook.
Two JetBlue flight attendants sued the airline and two of its pilots in federal court this week, alleging that the pilots drugged them both during a layover last year and that one of the pilots raped one of the women and another co-worker.
Knowing the level of this abuse and the extent of it is incredibly upsetting. We were aware of his behaviour but that his offending also involved children is astonishing. Some Captains did have serious sit down talks with him but after Flight 587 unfortunately you had to be very careful and tactful about what you said if you wanted to keep your job, seniority and not have fingers pointed at you. Remember this was after 9/11. Huge cutbacks to the industry and some at AA lost work. Most towed the company line of great pilot, great guy. There were one or two brave souls who questioned his behaviour and piloting skills, but couched in careful terms…
Looking at the NTSB report Captain Richard Salomon mentioned Sten was “immature and spoiled” “spoke down to people” “needed to work on his personality”. I wonder if anyone got in contact with him what he might have to say now given so much has come out?
It's funny, I'd just finished reading this part of the voluminous case file when I saw your comments. "You like cleaning toilets?" Absolute garbage and huge red flag as to who he really was. The mask slipped in that moment in front of the wrong captain. I saw a lot of damning with faint praise, too, with terms such as "he was good," "OK," "fine" type stuff interspersed with some of the over-the-top praise. Thanks for your insight. I am looking to talk to anyone who knew him, flew with him, for the book I'm now working on. Contact me anytime. I'd have to know who you are but I wouldn't have to use your name or any identifying details in the book, and I can keep your identity always confidential. Metooairlines at proton.me
Sara mentions here that she remained friends with Sten Molin up until his death. Did she ever see him again after their weekend together and if so did she notice any change in his behaviour at all? Did anyone notice or mention to her that his behaviour had changed or he was acting oddly? Or was he able to maintain a facade of complete normalcy right up till the end in his Greenwich life?
We only had a few emails after the failed Belize trip. Contact ended by 1999 at the latest. Someone knows when the complete degeneration began. But of course we know he would’ve been assaulting at some level from a relatively young age. The experts all say no one wakes up at 34 and suddenly decides to start attacking women and girls
I don’t know you Sara, but I do know him…and he wouldn’t have taken it so well. as a survivor of him it’s vile and abhorrent that this monster was allowed to get away with these hideous crimes. People who expose child abusers are among the bravest people in the world.
He ghosted you because you, as he would put it “thwarted his desires”. I think after this he decided that no one would “thwart his desires” again. Also would writes like that? Was he living in a 19th century romance novel?
Nah, it was all mutual. It was clear there was nothing there but pals, so we mutually faded out. The few last emails were friendly, basic how’s it going type stuff—nothing creepy or rambling. I met my husband around that time and moved to London. Did you get a chance to read the original stories? That side of his life was just so, so different vs his aviation life on every level that it’s hard to explain to those who had to deal with him at work. He was just some goofy yet interesting-seeming guy who had a cool job. This mystique around him now is still hard to reconcile for those who knew his Greenwich/ URI life
The ordinary uncool thing was a cover. These guys hide in plain site. His real nature wasn’t Greenwich. That was a cover. The real Sten Molin was the AA FO:
the compulsive liar, the serial predator, the wannabe flyboy, the aspiring chief pilot, Cecil Ewell wannabe, shady computer business entrepreneur, world traveller, awful pilot, daddy’s boy, deceitful treacherous garbage human.
I think we’re all feeling guilty over this sickos actions. You know the type? Always going after the young FAs. Always out partying on layovers with the 21 yr old FAs even though he was like in his thirties. He was known as the Drunksitter or Babysitter. He watched these kids get drunk, then he pounced on them, took them back to the hotel and God knows what went on. A conversation I remember back in early 2000, an FA was totally freaked out because she woke up with Sten in her bed with some excuse about his air conditioning being broken. She remembers him taking her back to her room then she basically passed out. Then she finds him in his boxers, in her bed, staring at her with his you know what hanging out. She told him to fuck off. He did. So I guess she didn’t take it any further. But still that is creepy behaviour right? Totally creepy totally wrong.
I really offer my sincere apologies to all the brave ladies coming forward now. You are totally fantastic.
By many accounts he didn’t just watch them. He facilitated, pressured, etc until they were incapacitated and then found cover with the narrative they “couldn’t handle their liquor” and then he’s in their hotel room assaulting an unconscious woman and the next thing you know it’s “how many drinks did you have?” Instead of “what did this disgusting dirtbag pilot do to you?”
He did facilitate it. If the young FAs got drunk themselves then he would take advantage of that. And later on when people started avoiding him he would actively facilitate alcohol intoxication. Have another one and so on. He usually remained sober or drank very little. He was creepy to me because he always had a camera on him and a watch. He would look at his watch and yell 8 hours from bottle to throttle, to pretend he was just being a good guy and taking care of the young FAs. It was all just his method of operation to get them back to the hotel. As he went along unpunished he got bolder and bolder and took more risks. He was ramping up his behaviour.
I am at the stage where I am not sure what to disclose and what not to disclose. I know Sara was a friend of his, so it is a balancing act for me of not wanting to traumatise another person with his obscene vile crap but also not redacting too much information such that what I do send through loses its impact. It seems mild and not that bad. Here we are more than two decades later after his death and we are still grappling with what he did.
It must be really hard. I will say that the content looks horrendous Whatever you redact, trust me. but we’ll talk when I’m back from vacation. and please don’t worry for a second about him being my friend. It was a short time in my life and I think nothing of him now except he was a vile disgusting predator. His victims deserve much better than they got.
I think because as another lady mentions it’s the podcasts calling him a hero that are triggering to many of us. I contacted an aviation YouTuber who was planning on doing something on Flight 587 and Molin. I told him to think twice and Google Sten Molin. Haven’t seen anything yet so hopefully that was a wake up call and the idea was scrapped. Let’s hear all about the 264 REAL victims of Molin, no more Sten Molin the brave hero who fought to save a plane. How anyone could frame it that way is beyond me.
I can not apologise enough. I feel totally guilty about it all. I did warn FAs. Watch out for that guy he’s totally weird. Watch out for Sten Molin and eventually people gave him a wide birth as word got out. I also definitely told a senior FA, I also mentioned it to two Captains. I don’t think they did anything. I know one Captain totally gushed over Molin after he died calling him a great pilot, or a gentleman or something. I am thinking to myself really? Woah?! Back up there. You know he wasn’t a gentleman. You witnessed his behaviour. You listened to me and pretended to care when I told you of several incidences on layovers.
In my defense Molin was also leading a quadruple or quintuple life, apparently there was an Australian life, a French or a London life, a Connecticut life, a basement life and also his American Airlines life. I only knew the American Airlines life. I am so sorry and I feel very guilty. For all his victims including those of Flight 587.
Misogynistic homophobic rant by Southwest pilot caught out on hot mic. A while ago but this attitude persists today. I know Sara is writing about this so am trying to get as much as I can here. Please trigger warning.
Many thanks for all of this. I will be posting tomorrow announcing I am officially working on a book now, and am looking for people to talk to me about flying with SM back in the day. Not even just about him, but what it was like in general, what the vibe was like, what the dynamic between cockpit & cabin crew was/is, etc. for a general audience, most of whom won't be from the aviation industry. I have so many questions.
It is a larger problem in this industry that persists today because of the power imbalance between pilots and FAs. An aircraft is a microcosm of what is happening in larger communities. On a global scale. Men in power and women as servers, at their beck and call. This Southwest pilot is essentially expressing here that he feels FAs should be attractive young ladies at his beck and call sexually. Not older FAs or gay men. It’s not about doing a job or your ability to perform that job but your attractiveness to male pilots. It is an industry that attracts a particular type of man. This pilot is demanding not experienced professionals but victims he can prey on sexually. I am so glad you are committing to a book but to me this goes well beyond Sten Molin. A culture that protects and coddles predators. A culture that enables predators. A culture that punishes those who speak out and rewards silence.
Is that a photo of the author with Sten Molin? It’s hard to see because the images are in silhouette. I read this. Having someone you love turn out to be such a monster must have been terrible.
there are no photos of me with him that i know of, though there could be some from the wedding I attended with him as his date with his college friends from the University of Rhode Island.
I only went on one weekend date with him and then he tried to get me go on a Caribbean trip with him a few weeks later, and i wasn't attracted to him so in the end I said no. There wasn't chemistry there, though we had a nice time at the wedding because he kept his social mask on and I had no idea he was a rapist and child molestor at the time.
I just found him strange and creepy. He used to try to pick up flight attendants from I think all airlines who were based at JFK and take them back to the Roosevelt. I know he had a good friend, I can't remember his name ? but he was from another airline and they were close. Later on he had a girlfriend and because she was pregnant I assumed he had a child.
I didn’t see any of this in him. I’m not saying it didn’t happen but I never saw it. There’s strange and creepy and then there’s being a pedophile rapist. You can’t really make that giant leap.
Obsidian said she found him creepy. She didn’t say he was a pedophile rapist—his victims said that. so those people that he didn’t rape are fortunate, and those he did are stuck with the trauma still. And those children that he molested are speaking out today and I am happy to give them a safe space to do that
Sure, but i quickly pivoted with the heartbreaking testimony of his many victims. Serial rapists and serial killers for that matter are very careful who they victimize and take their masks off for. Aka lots of people vouched for Weinstein, nassar, saville. The btk killer was a church deacon for goodness sake. And that example ovulating is a huge red flag
It appears the pro Sten Molin trolls have found the Reddit group. There was one anonymous account who is attempting to name victims who have come forward. There was also an attempt to doxx people exposing Molin and his behaviour. Keep exposing him. It did happen. We are not liars.
it's a cesspool over there. It's become a place for sock puppet psychos to attack rape victims. I'd delete it, personally. It's giving them so much oxygen. I'm not going near it.
sadly with someone posting almost exclusively my stuff in that group, i've been put in the firing line again. I think it's pretty much the same sad person. But if I have to read one more time about the bizarre, illogical narrative that somehow he "turned me down" even though my entire piece was supportive of him and ended with me saying no thanks to a trip to the carribbean, I'm going to be really annoyed. That's your first clue it's the same person, because any normal person can read and understands there was no romance whatsoever there. we parted as friends. It's all there in the first 2 stories. The end.
It’s CL. Sten Molin had to buy women with fancy overseas trips and gifts. Then eventually he assaulted them. Look everyone knows you weren’t into him at all. She’s insane. He was an ugly guy. The online photos of him are enough.
For anyone here who is a victim of First Officer Sten Molin we have a Reddit page AND a Quora page group as well as the Facebook one where we are going to share some of our experiences with Molin. Anything you have feel free to post. You can do it confidentially you don’t have to use your name. We have also published in the Reddit FA group who featured a post.
I have forwarded more emails that Molin harassed me with to be posted by group moderators plus myself.
A lot of the really awful stuff can’t be included because it will just get banned but some of the milder harassment will give people an idea of what he subjected women to in this last years of his life.
This is a sample of some of the stuff he sent to me, that I also sent journalist and author Sara Hammel. I also forward some of this on to Caro who you know from FB👇👇👇👇👇👇
“ This is not a game. It's what I actually think and feel; a dense crushing self loathing. It's not hyperbole and it's because of you. You implied I am some sort of moral vaccum. That I don't care about the thoughts, feelings, safety and comfort of the women in my life. This is not an accurate description of the course of my life nor my social interactions with the women I encounter. You know it. I would appreciate you not gossiping with ———- and please keep our interactions from now on strictly confidential. You were with ———- last, and you could do so much better than that obsequious little man. He is everything I hate. That look-at-moi smugness and affected swagger. I told you so. I know it stung. Honesty can hurt. Your actions stirred up in me jealousy, suspicion and frankly despair. And I lashed out. So sorry. Please, I am only asking you to reconsider the firm "No". Is there room for a "maybe"? Would you contemplate a "probably"? The offer for coffee is still open. I think you should seriously consider my offer.
(You can see here he pushes and pushes and pushes despite me telling him no)
It's time to have an open and honest chat with you; time to clear the air. A mea culpa on
my part. The last time we were together I got the distinct impression you were flirting with me, so your last email stung a little.
(I wasn’t flirting with him at all. I was avoiding him. I didn’t give him ANY mixed signals, or mess with him emotionally. It was always clear where I stood and that was NO to a relationship)
I'm not a mindreader Isla!!!!! This is something I have been contemplating for some time, and I was slowly building up the courage to say how much I desire you. I realize I fucked up by just going for it, and being a little too outspoken and forthright. The humiliation is frankly painful. I can be clumsy and awkward and I tend to "come on" too strong. But I do admire you; your intelligence, your fierce determination, your courage and compassion. It is just a bonus that you are beautiful as well. I am a sea of emotional turmoil right now; regret, humiliation, desire, good intentions, unrequited lust.
Yeah, I know. I don't have the gravitas of————
Anyway it just goes on from there. You get the idea of the level of Molin’s obsession and stalking behaviour.
I did an interesting experiment. I was told you can estimate someone’s verbal IQ from this
So I put some of Molin’s writing through, and it comes back as an IQ of 124. Which is listed as high intelligence. That is just verbal IQ. I am assuming his math/science IQ would be much higher given he was a pilot and engineer.
Hi Isla, I saw that! I haven't seen an FB page, though, if you get a moment could you email me (or post) the link? I'd planned to highlight the reddit forum in a post for late this week or early next. I admire your courage and tenacity considering there are so many people who want to keep this squelched. As we speak i'm working on the book proposal to send out hopefully very soon...also I hope to come to OZ soon on a reporting trip. A post will be coming within the next 7 days, hopefully sooner. -xSara
Just to let you all know there is some guy claiming to be a pilot over on reddit who is cyber stalking me. I think he knew Molin. He’s really invested in defending him and silencing us. Just to give you all a warning don’t engage with him. I think it might be JR or AM or possible CL. Stay safe.
“ I will never understand ppl who can divorce love and sex, or people who use sex as a weapon to hurt & harm. “
Molin could. What I mean to say is that I didn’t ask for Molin to jack off making sure I heard everything, or creep naked into my hotel room, or wake up with him naked and jacking off next to me. He got me a job, but he got lots of Australian girls jobs so yeah you relied on this guy for everything.
How horrific. I'm so sorry this happened to you!! Or if we already communicated back in the Medium days, I'm sorry again. Of course you're angry. Not only were you traumatized but no one had your back, stood up to him, or stood up to his protectors. That'll piss anyone off. They love to use women's anger to discredit us, like it somehow means we're unhinged. No. It's normal to be furious and speak out. Silence and "civility" serves only the perpetrators and the status quo.
I tell myself I am allowed to be angry because I was told I was making an issue out of basically nothing, I needed my head read, he’s a pilot whatta ya gonna do? Drink concrete another one, he’s nasssssttttyyyyy or cheeky in a jokey way. Laugh it off and forget about it. It’s not rape soooooooo. Those were the favourites.
You can’t be angry. If you’re angry that’s YOUR problem. If you make a fuss or try to get a little respect YOUR the issue. DARVO major DARVO.
There is a video out there on various sites which I won’t post here (too explicit and not appropriate given sensitive subject matter discussed) but will send to anyone who is researching into sexual abuse and abuse of power by pilots, of very explicit and illegal activities between two middle-aged pilots and two young FAs in the cockpit of a plane. The two airlines are AOM and Air Lib (created through the merger of AOM and Air Liberté). This video is real and not staged. There were passengers on this flight.
Some of what was said….
Yes folks this stuff actually does go on. Molin is the tip of the iceberg.
Sara, I am so sorry. I just read your initial story. You loved him like I did. You had dreams of marrying him and having his children, like I did. I gave myself to him too. It isn’t rape but it is still a horrible violation. As someone else here mentioned, a deep wound to the psyche. He was my first everything. How I loved him. I gave him my virginity, my love and my fidelity. I thought I was one of the lucky ones. For so many of my friends their first time bordered on rape or was rape. There was pressure, deception and coercion. But Sten was tender and cared for my pleasure as much as his own. It is very painful to realise that I was so used. That my virginity was a badge of honour for him. Another notch in his belt. 😥😥😥😥😥😥😥😥😥😥
I can only imagine the mixture of emotions and fallout that comes from the kind of grooming he did with you. I am so sorry. It was all rape. Children cannot consent under the law for a reason —your brain & self is not fully developed and therefore he stole your ability to choose for yourself as an adult. 🥲
I don’t know if you were able to read the whole first story or if you read a fake version someone might’ve created? (the stalker uses the same false language you use here) but as the story explains, I was not attracted to him let alone “loved” or wanted to “marry” him. We parted as friends and I was lucky he never assaulted me. There was nothing but innocent PG-rated contact that weekend. It’s why, when he called to invite me on a Caribbean getaway, I ended up saying no. I didn’t want to waste precious vacation time & money on a guy who was going to be just a pal. To those of us women outside the aviation industry who knew him as adults with our own strong careers, he was not particularly hot, handsome or cool back then. It must have been so different when he put on his fake fighter pilot type persona in the workplace or tried to impress young girls. But for me he was a nice, interesting guy who lived not far from my Manhattan apartment who didn’t deserve to die that way and be blamed for it. How wrong I was. 🤮
She said you wanted to have children with him and you were green with jealousy when you found out about her on Instagram. I think that is a perfect way of putting it. He stole my ability to consent. He stole SO much. Are you still a virgin if someone rapes you? Probably.
she says a lot of things. She's sick. This person is a stalker. I have been to several law-enforcement offices in 2 countries about it. I do not know her nor care about her story. I have not engaged with her in 18 months of her obsessing and harassing and threatening me, except for 2 ill-advised times to tell her to go away when it was overwhelming. I have never come in contact with someone so disturbed in my lifetime. I have no idea where she is on any platform let alone instagram. She comes to me, and is so obsessive it's frightening. She is in danger of getting into defamation territory if she's not careful. I have a zero tolerance for her name mentioned on any platform of mine by the way. (I know you didnt bring her up, i just want to be clear to anyone reading this). I delete all comments that mention this stalker.
as for your question...you get to decide, is my opinion. YOU choose what labels to use and what and certain precious moments mean to you. If you can...maybe it's impossible.
I know it's not that easy but anytime you can take the power back--easier said than done--from your abuser, the better.
Sara, was he the first officer or the captain? I discussed that event in my research ...but never knew the pilot's names. This adds more to the profile if he were the person at the controls.
Hi Karlene, Molin was the first officer, but he was at the controls. Everyone who reported to me that he was a horrific human being and predator also made a huge point of saying that the captain, Ed states, was a gem, a gentleman, a wonderful aviator, and kind to everyone from ground staff to cabin crew to cockpit crew. He’s most certainly did not deserve what happened to him.
If this is true about his skills.... My question is this... Were they after him prior to the crash? Did he know the authorities were coming to get him? This could be more than stupidity, if what they say... he was a wonderful aviator... If that were true, then the question of why he broke the tail off may lead to a different reason. What was ongoing prior to the crash regarding legal action?
It was Captain Ed states who I’ve been told was a excellent aviator. Not Molin. If you get some spare time maybe a chunk of time and you’re on a flight or something, check the links on this latest story and go down the rabbit hole and read some of the comments flight attendants and pilots have left. It definitely takes some time and a lot of us don’t have I know, but You’ll see that Sten Molin was protected. There was really no sign that any authorities were coming for him; one pilot who tried to speak out during the investigation about molin’s crappy skills, was absolutely taken to the cleaners and smeared for daring ti criticize the “hero” pilot. the women flight attendants who tried to report molin assaulting and harassing them were told stay quiet, or feel free to go to the police where he raped you on that layover, (in Brazil? Really?) or victim-shamed or told they drank too much. You know the drill. this only came out publicly like this when I wrote that story about him in 2021, because I’m not sure if you know that he was a friend of mine and I thought he was a good guy like so many did . he led a double life. It’s kind of fascinating and sick at the same time , but check out the stories in the links I put up there and the comments and you’ll get a sense of what a mess this is.
Fascinating and sick ... I get that. I've thought about this in the same way with Delta that way. I know about his performance... I'll share more. But he was completely to blame for that crash... well... so was American Training department complicit, and the reason for SMS. Why should we cover up the bad guys behavior after they die. Hitler and Epsein were still horrific despite their deaths. Keep looking into this!
You truly are a relentless advocate for women & other victims in this industry! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
We need more like Karlene. The whole bro aviation world needs a MeToo moment just like the entertainment industry. Let’s weed these guys out. In fact many male dominated industries need a wake up call. Women shouldn’t be at the mercy of sexual predators while they are just trying to do their jobs.
Bravo Karlene and Christine and Sara.
It’s always a few bad apples that ruin it for everyone else they say. Reading these accounts it seems like the whole crate was rotten. American modified their training prior to Flight 587 to place less emphasis on the rudder. Apparently Molin didn’t get the memo. American was run by big macho military flyboys and Molin wanted to be one of them. You know the hard partying types bedding one FA after another? He wanted to keep up with that crowd. He took Jane Doe with him on flights as a sort of a trophy to be displayed because none of the FAs wanted to date Molin. It was all so disgusting and women were treated like chattel or trophies.
Bingo. The damage that thing left behind in one short lifetime is incalculable.
Spot on Karlene. if someone dies that doesn’t erase the harm they have caused to those still living. Take Jimmy Saville. It was only after his death that many of his victims came forward.
Eddie was a doll. You know he was biracial right? They always get a white guy to play him in those disaster movies.
Eddie States was an excellent aviator who served his country, and deserved so much better than to have Molin as his FO. He left behind a wife and two young sons. RIP Eddie States. God Speed.
Captain Ed States was nothing like Mr Molin. He was a professional, competent, well respected pilot. I could provide further details about Captain States if the author here wishes to write about him at some stage in the future. This might be nice to differentiate two very different men.
This is interesting. I’d heard some of it but never heard there were enough remains to autopsy? There is a pilot (woman) over on LinkedIn digging her heels in that his being so disturbed has nothing to did with causing the crash. After hearing from so many in aviation over 2 years, I believe that question is absolutely valid.
Chief Pilot Cecil Ewell on unions and the reason why I decided to get out. This is from an interview he did a few years back but his attitude was much more antagonistic than he elucidates here. We all know Molin hated the union too. He was a company stooge and a snitch who buddied up to upper management because they looked the other way on his questionable behaviour. Molin was headed for upper management echelons if he played his cards right.
“Bob Baker would agree with me — that having the union is important. But I heartily disagree with the way business is being conducted there right now. I’ll admit that the company, American, isn’t perfect. But it’s an absurd thought that there’s some plot going on to break the union.”
Indeed. There was a plot for many years to disband the union.
Cecil Ewell died recently but nothing has really changed.
That’s it. You put in a complaint and just get stonewalled. You know someone was protecting him.
I didn’t even know this stuff went on.
There were enough remains to do a full drug panel on both pilots. Molin’s test was positive for ephedrine and Pseudoephedrine. Both are chemically related to amphetamine. Some pilots would crush and snort these chemicals to get a high before flying. Called zingers they would be used on long haul flights and you could pass this off as having some sort of nasal congestion or allergy on the medical.
Scary.
It’s called human factors. The Air France flight 447 guys, Bonin, Robert and Dubois, were also out partying down in Rio prior to that crash. They came onto the plane exhausted and planned to use the trip back to catch up on sleep. The captain I’ve heard from a good source who works for Air France was a known party hardy type. His mistress was on the flight and when things went pear shaped he was holed up with her in the crew rest area. It took him a good minute to reach the cockpit. It is appalling, depraved behaviour from pilots who know they have hundreds of lives in their hands. Pilots do take down planes and you can forgive a genuine mistake but the conduct on Molin’s part and the Air France guys is unforgivable.
You can’t tell me that having zingers or baby cocaine in your system won’t affect your performance. You can’t tell me that being a sexual deviant with kids hidden down in Australia won’t affect your performance in the cockpit. You can’t tell me that being up at strange hours of the night sending sexually inappropriate emails to FAs or keeping odd hours because you are sexually obsessed with a child down in Australia, or partying down in Rio with your mistress or being exhausted won’t effect your performance in the cockpit. The initial wake turbulence encounter was no big deal either and Molin flung the yoke around like it was a toy airplane. It was like a child was at the controls not an experienced pilot. He wigged out up there.
The tragedy is that Dubois’s wife had to learn of this too. Her husband was dead. He died with his mistress. His actions lead to the deaths of many people.
If these pilots had survived by some miracle they would have served jail time like Captain Michel Asseline of Air France Flight 296Q. Now in Asseline’s case it was a genuine mistake coupled with hubris. But a mistake. Molin, Dubois, Bonin and Robert, well you could make a case for criminal negligence.
This comment is blowing my mind. Thanks for sharing.
He liked his dexy.
Ewell was another flyboy. Big macho big man military type. He was Molin’s idol and Molin modelled himself after Ewell. Molin wanted to be top dog too and throw his weight around. He wanted to prove to everyone he was The Man. Someone to be reckoned with. Big on union busting. Big on crippling the union.
Sten Molin was a swine and a clear danger aided and abetted by an omnipotent and unaccountable corporation within which his deceit, bullying and calculated, sadistic cruelty went unchecked.
This case is a shocking example of a patriarchal playground where almost exclusively male `assets' known as pilots are allowed to roam free to assault flight attendants as they please while American sits idly by…
https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/flight-attendants-allege-american-airlines-ignored-complaints-about-pilot/509-b77f1f4f-a47d-4504-b2a8-47f02a691d69
“Acting unsurprised, the captain told the women that while in the cockpit, Nelson "boasted of his sexual conquests with underage prostitutes ... and visits to strip clubs during layovers, even showing pictures he kept as mementos," the suit states.
The suit further alleges that on one trip, Nelson "imbibed so much while in uniform on the flight crew's shuttle that he drunkenly fell down and split his pants open.”
Sten Molin’s method of operation. All from the same playbook.
Two JetBlue flight attendants sued the airline and two of its pilots in federal court this week, alleging that the pilots drugged them both during a layover last year and that one of the pilots raped one of the women and another co-worker.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/21/business/jetblue-flight-attendant-lawsuit.html
Knowing the level of this abuse and the extent of it is incredibly upsetting. We were aware of his behaviour but that his offending also involved children is astonishing. Some Captains did have serious sit down talks with him but after Flight 587 unfortunately you had to be very careful and tactful about what you said if you wanted to keep your job, seniority and not have fingers pointed at you. Remember this was after 9/11. Huge cutbacks to the industry and some at AA lost work. Most towed the company line of great pilot, great guy. There were one or two brave souls who questioned his behaviour and piloting skills, but couched in careful terms…
Looking at the NTSB report Captain Richard Salomon mentioned Sten was “immature and spoiled” “spoke down to people” “needed to work on his personality”. I wonder if anyone got in contact with him what he might have to say now given so much has come out?
It's funny, I'd just finished reading this part of the voluminous case file when I saw your comments. "You like cleaning toilets?" Absolute garbage and huge red flag as to who he really was. The mask slipped in that moment in front of the wrong captain. I saw a lot of damning with faint praise, too, with terms such as "he was good," "OK," "fine" type stuff interspersed with some of the over-the-top praise. Thanks for your insight. I am looking to talk to anyone who knew him, flew with him, for the book I'm now working on. Contact me anytime. I'd have to know who you are but I wouldn't have to use your name or any identifying details in the book, and I can keep your identity always confidential. Metooairlines at proton.me
I got I’ll do you a favour and eat your pussy for you baby.
Dude lived life like a movie.
disgusting. I'm sorry you were subjected to that thing.
I am sorry you were subjected to that thing as well.
Sara mentions here that she remained friends with Sten Molin up until his death. Did she ever see him again after their weekend together and if so did she notice any change in his behaviour at all? Did anyone notice or mention to her that his behaviour had changed or he was acting oddly? Or was he able to maintain a facade of complete normalcy right up till the end in his Greenwich life?
We only had a few emails after the failed Belize trip. Contact ended by 1999 at the latest. Someone knows when the complete degeneration began. But of course we know he would’ve been assaulting at some level from a relatively young age. The experts all say no one wakes up at 34 and suddenly decides to start attacking women and girls
I don’t know you Sara, but I do know him…and he wouldn’t have taken it so well. as a survivor of him it’s vile and abhorrent that this monster was allowed to get away with these hideous crimes. People who expose child abusers are among the bravest people in the world.
Very interesting perspective. You and all his victims are so very brave.
Thanks. You were from his other life so he had to, let’s just say, hide his disappointment. He was someone who usually didn’t take no for an answer.
He ghosted you because you, as he would put it “thwarted his desires”. I think after this he decided that no one would “thwart his desires” again. Also would writes like that? Was he living in a 19th century romance novel?
Nah, it was all mutual. It was clear there was nothing there but pals, so we mutually faded out. The few last emails were friendly, basic how’s it going type stuff—nothing creepy or rambling. I met my husband around that time and moved to London. Did you get a chance to read the original stories? That side of his life was just so, so different vs his aviation life on every level that it’s hard to explain to those who had to deal with him at work. He was just some goofy yet interesting-seeming guy who had a cool job. This mystique around him now is still hard to reconcile for those who knew his Greenwich/ URI life
The ordinary uncool thing was a cover. These guys hide in plain site. His real nature wasn’t Greenwich. That was a cover. The real Sten Molin was the AA FO:
the compulsive liar, the serial predator, the wannabe flyboy, the aspiring chief pilot, Cecil Ewell wannabe, shady computer business entrepreneur, world traveller, awful pilot, daddy’s boy, deceitful treacherous garbage human.
Yep. I’ll tell you all about it when we talk.
I’d like to know who took that photo? If she was underage then as Sara says someone knew something.
The picture at the very bottom is of her and Molin? 😬😬
Do u have a link to any of her other socials? I want to see what all this fuss is about. What is she doing?
Someone knows. I’d like to hear from people from all his fake lives to see if we can piece a timeline together
I think we’re all feeling guilty over this sickos actions. You know the type? Always going after the young FAs. Always out partying on layovers with the 21 yr old FAs even though he was like in his thirties. He was known as the Drunksitter or Babysitter. He watched these kids get drunk, then he pounced on them, took them back to the hotel and God knows what went on. A conversation I remember back in early 2000, an FA was totally freaked out because she woke up with Sten in her bed with some excuse about his air conditioning being broken. She remembers him taking her back to her room then she basically passed out. Then she finds him in his boxers, in her bed, staring at her with his you know what hanging out. She told him to fuck off. He did. So I guess she didn’t take it any further. But still that is creepy behaviour right? Totally creepy totally wrong.
I really offer my sincere apologies to all the brave ladies coming forward now. You are totally fantastic.
By many accounts he didn’t just watch them. He facilitated, pressured, etc until they were incapacitated and then found cover with the narrative they “couldn’t handle their liquor” and then he’s in their hotel room assaulting an unconscious woman and the next thing you know it’s “how many drinks did you have?” Instead of “what did this disgusting dirtbag pilot do to you?”
He did facilitate it. If the young FAs got drunk themselves then he would take advantage of that. And later on when people started avoiding him he would actively facilitate alcohol intoxication. Have another one and so on. He usually remained sober or drank very little. He was creepy to me because he always had a camera on him and a watch. He would look at his watch and yell 8 hours from bottle to throttle, to pretend he was just being a good guy and taking care of the young FAs. It was all just his method of operation to get them back to the hotel. As he went along unpunished he got bolder and bolder and took more risks. He was ramping up his behaviour.
So infuriating the airline protected him despite such brazen behavior. How gross he was.
I wasn’t drunk.
Sara I am happy to tell you what I know. I guess it’s all out there now so there is nothing to lose.
Wonderful. I’ll email you when I’m back from vacation 🙏
I am at the stage where I am not sure what to disclose and what not to disclose. I know Sara was a friend of his, so it is a balancing act for me of not wanting to traumatise another person with his obscene vile crap but also not redacting too much information such that what I do send through loses its impact. It seems mild and not that bad. Here we are more than two decades later after his death and we are still grappling with what he did.
It must be really hard. I will say that the content looks horrendous Whatever you redact, trust me. but we’ll talk when I’m back from vacation. and please don’t worry for a second about him being my friend. It was a short time in my life and I think nothing of him now except he was a vile disgusting predator. His victims deserve much better than they got.
I think because as another lady mentions it’s the podcasts calling him a hero that are triggering to many of us. I contacted an aviation YouTuber who was planning on doing something on Flight 587 and Molin. I told him to think twice and Google Sten Molin. Haven’t seen anything yet so hopefully that was a wake up call and the idea was scrapped. Let’s hear all about the 264 REAL victims of Molin, no more Sten Molin the brave hero who fought to save a plane. How anyone could frame it that way is beyond me.
Hi kim, I sent an email to the address you signed up with. I'm eager to speak with you for the book. Your identity would be absolutely protected.
My email address is adleremilee333@gmail.com
What would “going on record” entail?
Thank you. 🙂
Emailing you :)
Morning after regrets
Well you should. Ur a senior FA?
I can not apologise enough. I feel totally guilty about it all. I did warn FAs. Watch out for that guy he’s totally weird. Watch out for Sten Molin and eventually people gave him a wide birth as word got out. I also definitely told a senior FA, I also mentioned it to two Captains. I don’t think they did anything. I know one Captain totally gushed over Molin after he died calling him a great pilot, or a gentleman or something. I am thinking to myself really? Woah?! Back up there. You know he wasn’t a gentleman. You witnessed his behaviour. You listened to me and pretended to care when I told you of several incidences on layovers.
In my defense Molin was also leading a quadruple or quintuple life, apparently there was an Australian life, a French or a London life, a Connecticut life, a basement life and also his American Airlines life. I only knew the American Airlines life. I am so sorry and I feel very guilty. For all his victims including those of Flight 587.
This. 💯 🎯
Misogynistic homophobic rant by Southwest pilot caught out on hot mic. A while ago but this attitude persists today. I know Sara is writing about this so am trying to get as much as I can here. Please trigger warning.
https://www.gawker.com/5814645/southwest-pilot-accidentally-broadcasts-misogynistic-homophobic-rant
Many thanks for all of this. I will be posting tomorrow announcing I am officially working on a book now, and am looking for people to talk to me about flying with SM back in the day. Not even just about him, but what it was like in general, what the vibe was like, what the dynamic between cockpit & cabin crew was/is, etc. for a general audience, most of whom won't be from the aviation industry. I have so many questions.
It is a larger problem in this industry that persists today because of the power imbalance between pilots and FAs. An aircraft is a microcosm of what is happening in larger communities. On a global scale. Men in power and women as servers, at their beck and call. This Southwest pilot is essentially expressing here that he feels FAs should be attractive young ladies at his beck and call sexually. Not older FAs or gay men. It’s not about doing a job or your ability to perform that job but your attractiveness to male pilots. It is an industry that attracts a particular type of man. This pilot is demanding not experienced professionals but victims he can prey on sexually. I am so glad you are committing to a book but to me this goes well beyond Sten Molin. A culture that protects and coddles predators. A culture that enables predators. A culture that punishes those who speak out and rewards silence.
Intense.
Is that a photo of the author with Sten Molin? It’s hard to see because the images are in silhouette. I read this. Having someone you love turn out to be such a monster must have been terrible.
there are no photos of me with him that i know of, though there could be some from the wedding I attended with him as his date with his college friends from the University of Rhode Island.
I only went on one weekend date with him and then he tried to get me go on a Caribbean trip with him a few weeks later, and i wasn't attracted to him so in the end I said no. There wasn't chemistry there, though we had a nice time at the wedding because he kept his social mask on and I had no idea he was a rapist and child molestor at the time.
I just found him strange and creepy. He used to try to pick up flight attendants from I think all airlines who were based at JFK and take them back to the Roosevelt. I know he had a good friend, I can't remember his name ? but he was from another airline and they were close. Later on he had a girlfriend and because she was pregnant I assumed he had a child.
I didn’t see any of this in him. I’m not saying it didn’t happen but I never saw it. There’s strange and creepy and then there’s being a pedophile rapist. You can’t really make that giant leap.
Obsidian said she found him creepy. She didn’t say he was a pedophile rapist—his victims said that. so those people that he didn’t rape are fortunate, and those he did are stuck with the trauma still. And those children that he molested are speaking out today and I am happy to give them a safe space to do that
I will always support victims. You can appreciate though Sara that like you I only had good experiences with him.
Sure, but i quickly pivoted with the heartbreaking testimony of his many victims. Serial rapists and serial killers for that matter are very careful who they victimize and take their masks off for. Aka lots of people vouched for Weinstein, nassar, saville. The btk killer was a church deacon for goodness sake. And that example ovulating is a huge red flag
Horrible truly horrible
I am so sorry for all you guys who had to go through all of this.
It appears the pro Sten Molin trolls have found the Reddit group. There was one anonymous account who is attempting to name victims who have come forward. There was also an attempt to doxx people exposing Molin and his behaviour. Keep exposing him. It did happen. We are not liars.
Can the mods delete all that stuff?
I’ll get that done.
it's a cesspool over there. It's become a place for sock puppet psychos to attack rape victims. I'd delete it, personally. It's giving them so much oxygen. I'm not going near it.
Thank you you are amazing 🙏
sadly with someone posting almost exclusively my stuff in that group, i've been put in the firing line again. I think it's pretty much the same sad person. But if I have to read one more time about the bizarre, illogical narrative that somehow he "turned me down" even though my entire piece was supportive of him and ended with me saying no thanks to a trip to the carribbean, I'm going to be really annoyed. That's your first clue it's the same person, because any normal person can read and understands there was no romance whatsoever there. we parted as friends. It's all there in the first 2 stories. The end.
It’s CL. Sten Molin had to buy women with fancy overseas trips and gifts. Then eventually he assaulted them. Look everyone knows you weren’t into him at all. She’s insane. He was an ugly guy. The online photos of him are enough.
That makes me feel better thank you 🙏
For anyone here who is a victim of First Officer Sten Molin we have a Reddit page AND a Quora page group as well as the Facebook one where we are going to share some of our experiences with Molin. Anything you have feel free to post. You can do it confidentially you don’t have to use your name. We have also published in the Reddit FA group who featured a post.
https://www.reddit.com/r/survivorsofstenmolin/
I have forwarded more emails that Molin harassed me with to be posted by group moderators plus myself.
A lot of the really awful stuff can’t be included because it will just get banned but some of the milder harassment will give people an idea of what he subjected women to in this last years of his life.
This is a sample of some of the stuff he sent to me, that I also sent journalist and author Sara Hammel. I also forward some of this on to Caro who you know from FB👇👇👇👇👇👇
“ This is not a game. It's what I actually think and feel; a dense crushing self loathing. It's not hyperbole and it's because of you. You implied I am some sort of moral vaccum. That I don't care about the thoughts, feelings, safety and comfort of the women in my life. This is not an accurate description of the course of my life nor my social interactions with the women I encounter. You know it. I would appreciate you not gossiping with ———- and please keep our interactions from now on strictly confidential. You were with ———- last, and you could do so much better than that obsequious little man. He is everything I hate. That look-at-moi smugness and affected swagger. I told you so. I know it stung. Honesty can hurt. Your actions stirred up in me jealousy, suspicion and frankly despair. And I lashed out. So sorry. Please, I am only asking you to reconsider the firm "No". Is there room for a "maybe"? Would you contemplate a "probably"? The offer for coffee is still open. I think you should seriously consider my offer.
(You can see here he pushes and pushes and pushes despite me telling him no)
It's time to have an open and honest chat with you; time to clear the air. A mea culpa on
my part. The last time we were together I got the distinct impression you were flirting with me, so your last email stung a little.
(I wasn’t flirting with him at all. I was avoiding him. I didn’t give him ANY mixed signals, or mess with him emotionally. It was always clear where I stood and that was NO to a relationship)
I'm not a mindreader Isla!!!!! This is something I have been contemplating for some time, and I was slowly building up the courage to say how much I desire you. I realize I fucked up by just going for it, and being a little too outspoken and forthright. The humiliation is frankly painful. I can be clumsy and awkward and I tend to "come on" too strong. But I do admire you; your intelligence, your fierce determination, your courage and compassion. It is just a bonus that you are beautiful as well. I am a sea of emotional turmoil right now; regret, humiliation, desire, good intentions, unrequited lust.
Yeah, I know. I don't have the gravitas of————
Anyway it just goes on from there. You get the idea of the level of Molin’s obsession and stalking behaviour.
I did an interesting experiment. I was told you can estimate someone’s verbal IQ from this
https://www.writingtoiq.com/
So I put some of Molin’s writing through, and it comes back as an IQ of 124. Which is listed as high intelligence. That is just verbal IQ. I am assuming his math/science IQ would be much higher given he was a pilot and engineer.
Hi Isla, I saw that! I haven't seen an FB page, though, if you get a moment could you email me (or post) the link? I'd planned to highlight the reddit forum in a post for late this week or early next. I admire your courage and tenacity considering there are so many people who want to keep this squelched. As we speak i'm working on the book proposal to send out hopefully very soon...also I hope to come to OZ soon on a reporting trip. A post will be coming within the next 7 days, hopefully sooner. -xSara
Just to let you all know there is some guy claiming to be a pilot over on reddit who is cyber stalking me. I think he knew Molin. He’s really invested in defending him and silencing us. Just to give you all a warning don’t engage with him. I think it might be JR or AM or possible CL. Stay safe.
Thank you Isla. I’m so sorry that’s happening to you. Keep us posted if there’s anything we can do. like you said, not engaging is probably best.
I was early on Medium. Glad this has ballooned.
“ I will never understand ppl who can divorce love and sex, or people who use sex as a weapon to hurt & harm. “
Molin could. What I mean to say is that I didn’t ask for Molin to jack off making sure I heard everything, or creep naked into my hotel room, or wake up with him naked and jacking off next to me. He got me a job, but he got lots of Australian girls jobs so yeah you relied on this guy for everything.
Why are men? Yeah I am bitter and twisted.
How horrific. I'm so sorry this happened to you!! Or if we already communicated back in the Medium days, I'm sorry again. Of course you're angry. Not only were you traumatized but no one had your back, stood up to him, or stood up to his protectors. That'll piss anyone off. They love to use women's anger to discredit us, like it somehow means we're unhinged. No. It's normal to be furious and speak out. Silence and "civility" serves only the perpetrators and the status quo.
Yes!!!! Sooooooooo true.
I tell myself I am allowed to be angry because I was told I was making an issue out of basically nothing, I needed my head read, he’s a pilot whatta ya gonna do? Drink concrete another one, he’s nasssssttttyyyyy or cheeky in a jokey way. Laugh it off and forget about it. It’s not rape soooooooo. Those were the favourites.
You can’t be angry. If you’re angry that’s YOUR problem. If you make a fuss or try to get a little respect YOUR the issue. DARVO major DARVO.
There is a video out there on various sites which I won’t post here (too explicit and not appropriate given sensitive subject matter discussed) but will send to anyone who is researching into sexual abuse and abuse of power by pilots, of very explicit and illegal activities between two middle-aged pilots and two young FAs in the cockpit of a plane. The two airlines are AOM and Air Lib (created through the merger of AOM and Air Liberté). This video is real and not staged. There were passengers on this flight.
Some of what was said….
Yes folks this stuff actually does go on. Molin is the tip of the iceberg.
FA: I'm natural
FO: It's a CPT and FO training
FA: I sit Naked (...)
FO: For once you're with nice guys
FO or CPT: That's it
(...)
FA: You're all have your cameras ?
Oher FA: Caught in the act
Fo: The flight 2252
ugh how horrendous for the women! Thank you for your sensitivity. I will email you.
Email me and I will send it through. You have my address?
i have the one you signed up with. emailing now
Sara, I am so sorry. I just read your initial story. You loved him like I did. You had dreams of marrying him and having his children, like I did. I gave myself to him too. It isn’t rape but it is still a horrible violation. As someone else here mentioned, a deep wound to the psyche. He was my first everything. How I loved him. I gave him my virginity, my love and my fidelity. I thought I was one of the lucky ones. For so many of my friends their first time bordered on rape or was rape. There was pressure, deception and coercion. But Sten was tender and cared for my pleasure as much as his own. It is very painful to realise that I was so used. That my virginity was a badge of honour for him. Another notch in his belt. 😥😥😥😥😥😥😥😥😥😥
I can only imagine the mixture of emotions and fallout that comes from the kind of grooming he did with you. I am so sorry. It was all rape. Children cannot consent under the law for a reason —your brain & self is not fully developed and therefore he stole your ability to choose for yourself as an adult. 🥲
I don’t know if you were able to read the whole first story or if you read a fake version someone might’ve created? (the stalker uses the same false language you use here) but as the story explains, I was not attracted to him let alone “loved” or wanted to “marry” him. We parted as friends and I was lucky he never assaulted me. There was nothing but innocent PG-rated contact that weekend. It’s why, when he called to invite me on a Caribbean getaway, I ended up saying no. I didn’t want to waste precious vacation time & money on a guy who was going to be just a pal. To those of us women outside the aviation industry who knew him as adults with our own strong careers, he was not particularly hot, handsome or cool back then. It must have been so different when he put on his fake fighter pilot type persona in the workplace or tried to impress young girls. But for me he was a nice, interesting guy who lived not far from my Manhattan apartment who didn’t deserve to die that way and be blamed for it. How wrong I was. 🤮
She said you wanted to have children with him and you were green with jealousy when you found out about her on Instagram. I think that is a perfect way of putting it. He stole my ability to consent. He stole SO much. Are you still a virgin if someone rapes you? Probably.
she says a lot of things. She's sick. This person is a stalker. I have been to several law-enforcement offices in 2 countries about it. I do not know her nor care about her story. I have not engaged with her in 18 months of her obsessing and harassing and threatening me, except for 2 ill-advised times to tell her to go away when it was overwhelming. I have never come in contact with someone so disturbed in my lifetime. I have no idea where she is on any platform let alone instagram. She comes to me, and is so obsessive it's frightening. She is in danger of getting into defamation territory if she's not careful. I have a zero tolerance for her name mentioned on any platform of mine by the way. (I know you didnt bring her up, i just want to be clear to anyone reading this). I delete all comments that mention this stalker.
as for your question...you get to decide, is my opinion. YOU choose what labels to use and what and certain precious moments mean to you. If you can...maybe it's impossible.
I know it's not that easy but anytime you can take the power back--easier said than done--from your abuser, the better.