A Jet Blue pilot who began ranting and acting erratically as his flight headed from New York to Las Vegas -- forcing the co-pilot to lock him out of the cockpit and make an emergency landing -- has been described as a seemingly content family man who once hoped to be an astronaut

As the co-pilot declared an emergency and made plans to land in Amarillo, chaos erupted in the jet's cabin, according to passengers' accounts and video taken by several people on board. "The pilot ran to the cockpit door, began banging on it and said something to the effect of, 'We've gotta pull the throttle back. We've gotta get this plane down,'" said Laurie Dhue, on CNN.

At one point, the pilot is heard screaming, "Oh my God! I'm so distraught! We've got Israel, we've got Iraq...".