Fact Check

Ann Coulter Refuses to Board Airplane With Black Pilot

Ann Coulter refused to stay aboard an airplane piloted by a black woman?

Published Jan. 30, 2013

Claim:

Claim:   Ann Coulter refused to stay aboard an airplane piloted by a black woman.


FALSE


Example:   [Collected via e-mail, January 2013]


A recent item re Ann Coulter refusing to board an airplane because the pilot was black has gone viral on Facebook and Twitter.

 

Origins:   On 29 January 2013, the Daily Currant published an article about conservative commentator Ann Coulter's refusing to stay on board a commercial airline flight because the aircraft was piloted by a black woman:



Conservative commentator and author Ann Coulter refused to stay on board a Miami to New York commercial airline flight today after learning the pilot was a woman of African-American descent.

According to witness reports Coulter was concerned the experienced, decorated pilot in question may have gained her position as a result of

affirmative action and wasn't fully qualified to fly.

The incident began when Coulter boarded the American Airlines flight and took up her first class seat. After a trip to the bathroom, she noticed the pilot was a black woman and became immediately distraught.

According to passengers, at that point Coulter stood at the front of the cabin and began screaming her concerns to the entire flight as they finished boarding.

"Aw come on people, a black woman flying a plane? You know she got that job through affirmative action. Am I the only one worried about this? I mean hello? Our lives are at stake here ..."


By the following day links and excerpts referencing this article were being circulated via social media, with many of those who encountered it mistaking it for a genuine news article. However, that article was just a bit of political humor which satirized the viewpoints expressed in Coulter's books and newspaper columns.

As noted in the Daily Currant's "About" page, that web site deals strictly in satire:



The Daily Currant is an English language online satirical newspaper that covers global politics, business, technology, entertainment, science, health and media.

Q. Are your newstories real?

A. No. Our stories are purely fictional. However they are meant to address real-world issues through satire and often refer and link to real events happening in the world


Last updated:   30 January 2013

David Mikkelson founded the site now known as snopes.com back in 1994.

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