CONFIDENTIAL CASE FILE
Transcript of Flight 409 Debrief
FAA and Air Marshal Joint Investigation
Interview Subject: Harland Edward Bixby
Date: April 16, 2025
Location: O’Hare International, Interview Room C
Interviewer: Marshal D. Reyes, FAA Investigator K. Dalton
—BEGIN TRANSCRIPT—
DALTON: Please state your name for the record.
BIXBY: Harland Edward Bixby.
REYES: You were on Flight 409, Chicago to Salt Lake City. Seat 23A, correct?
BIXBY: Yeah. That’s right. I was flying for work. Conference on… whatever. Doesn’t matter now, does it?
DALTON: Mr. Bixby, let’s go step by step. You boarded the flight. Did anything seem unusual?
BIXBY: Not at first. Just the usual nonsense. TSA took my toothpaste. Then they let a guy through who might have had a medieval crossbow. But boarding was fine. Nothing strange.
REYES: The flight was about 70 percent full. Did you recognize anyone?
BIXBY: No. But that’s not how it works.
DALTON: How does what work?
BIXBY: You don’t recognize him. You just notice him. Eventually. Like a flicker in the corner of your eye that sticks around too long.
REYES: You’re referring to the mime.
BIXBY: Yeah. Him.
DALTON: When did you first notice something was off?
BIXBY: About twenty minutes in. We’d hit cruising altitude. I was half watching the safety video and half dozing. Then the lights dipped. Not fully, just enough to feel like someone was hesitating. And then I realized it was quiet. Not airplane quiet. People quiet.
REYES: Can you clarify that?
BIXBY: Planes are full of noise. Babies. Coughs. People rustling wrappers or asking for snacks. But it all went away. Not gradually. Just gone. I didn’t hear anything except the hum of the plane and something else. Like the air was holding its breath.
DALTON: Recordings show no cabin audio loss.
BIXBY: Sure. Of course they don’t. You think your black box is going to catch him?
REYES: Let’s move forward. You got up and walked toward the back of the plane. Why?
BIXBY: I saw someone standing in the aisle. Just for a second. Tall guy. Dark suit. Back turned. Then I saw the gloves. White gloves. Too clean. Like light didn’t stick to them. He turned. I saw his face. Pale. Still. No expression. I knew who he was.
DALTON: You say he appeared mid-flight?
BIXBY: No. I think he was there the whole time. Just waiting. You know how planes play tricks on your vision? Reflections in the glass that don’t line up? It was like that. He was hiding behind the noise of normal life, and then he stepped out.
REYES: This was before or after you assaulted the man in 23C?
BIXBY: I didn’t assault him. I thought it was the mime. I was wrong. He had moved.
DALTON: Moved where?
BIXBY: Into the intercom. That’s what it felt like. I heard it. Static, but under it, chewing. Slow. Purposeful. That sound follows him.
REYES: Chewing.
BIXBY: Yeah. Chewing. Like the bagel thing. Same rhythm.
DALTON: What happened next?
BIXBY: I stood up and started walking forward. I wasn’t going to break into the cockpit or anything. I just needed to see someone real. Prove to myself that I hadn’t lost it. When I got to the emergency exit row, he was there. Sitting calmly. Crossing his legs. Fastening a fake seatbelt. No one reacted. He looked at me, raised his hand, and started tugging.
DALTON: Tugging?
BIXBY: Like an invisible rope. I felt it wrap around my chest. Tight. Like he was pulling the air out of me one thread at a time. I tried to breathe, but it wouldn’t come. The lights dipped again. I saw oxygen masks hanging. Swaying.
DALTON: No masks deployed, Mr. Bixby.
BIXBY: I know what I saw. I know what I felt.
REYES: So you’re saying the mime caused a hallucination?
BIXBY: He doesn’t cause anything. He reveals it. He shows you the rules you didn’t know you were playing by.
DALTON: What happened after the rope?
BIXBY: I blacked out. Or maybe I just blinked too long. Next thing I knew, I was in the lavatory. Nosebleed. Disoriented. Opened the door, and he was gone. Back into the folds.
REYES: Mr. Bixby, why do you think this happened to you?
BIXBY: It’s not personal. He isn’t coming for me. He’s not even chasing me. He’s performing. The audience is the whole damn world. And this time, the set was a plane.
DALTON: Do you think anyone else saw him?
BIXBY: Maybe. But no one admits it. No one ever wants to be first.
REYES: Final question. Did you remove anything from the aircraft?
BIXBY: Just my carry-on.
DALTON: The flight attendant reports that you were gripping it tightly and mumbling something when you deplaned.
BIXBY: He took something from it. One of the bagels I brought. I packed four. There were three when I landed.
REYES: We found a note in your seat pocket. It said, “Platform 3. Return ticket optional.”
BIXBY: Then you already know I’m telling the truth.
DALTON: That’ll be all for now, Mr. Bixby.
BIXBY: Don’t fly after midnight. That’s when he’s most convincing.
—END TRANSCRIPT—
Investigator Notes:
- No security concerns reported by the cockpit or flight staff.
- Cabin recordings are normal.
- Note found matches handwriting samples from other suspected mime-related incidents.
- Bixby has prior documentation involving similar psychological episodes, but no signs of instability during check-in or boarding.
- Incident officially marked as Unresolved Passenger Disturbance.
- Investigation remains open.