Go! plagued by bomb threat, fisticuffs, broken airplanes

An onboard fistfight involving a Mixed Martial Arts fighter and a separate bomb threat allegedly made by an Italian military policeman at Hono­lulu Airport punctuated a chaotic four-day stretch for interisland carrier go!

"We had a difficult weekend," said Jonathan Ornstein, chairman and chief executive officer of Mesa Air Group Inc., the parent company of go!

Brandon Kealoha, who turned 34 Friday, was arrested by state sheriff’s deputies Sunday and charged with misdemeanor third-degree assault after allegedly punching an MMA fighter in the face, according to state Department of Public Safety spokes­woman Toni Schwartz. The fight took place during boarding for a go! flight to Hilo, and the victim, who was not identified, was taken off the flight and treated for facial cuts and bruises. Schwartz identified the victim as an MMA fighter.

The fight occurred while the main cabin door of the 50-seat CRJ-200 was open, according to attorney Chris Pappaioanou of Phoenix-based Mesa.

Kealoha, who lives on Hawaii island, was arraigned Monday afternoon in Hono­lulu District Court, but sent to Oahu Community Correctional Center when he was not able to post $500 bail. He is scheduled to be back in court Wednesday, at which time he will be asked whether he wants his case to be heard by a judge or jury.

On Monday morning an Italian military policeman was arrested by sheriff’s deputies on suspicion of misdemeanor second-degree terroristic threatening after joking about having a bomb while in line at the go! ticket counter.

"He said it as a side comment to someone else at the ticket counter," Schwartz said. "When the ticket agent asked if he had any hazardous fluids in his bag, he made a comment to another woman with him and said, ‘No, I have a bomb.’ The ticket agent heard that, confronted him and filed a complaint," Schwartz said.

The man, who was not identified, was questioned by sheriffs’ deputies and released on $200 bail but detained for additional questioning by federal agents, Schwartz said. She said the department was withholding his name while awaiting instructions from the Italian consulate general in San Francisco.

The incidents capped a trouble-plagued four days for go! that saw the airline cancel or delay an undetermined number of flights after three of its five aircraft had to be pulled from service due to maintenance issues.

"It’s a blip," Ornstein said Monday by telephone. "We’re operating a small operation, and every now and then there might be a confluence of events that may result in one or two aircraft being broken. It happens, and if it’s broken we’re going to fix it. Safety is our primary concern."

Ornstein said go! will be back to full capacity today.