Unruly passenger of American Airlines flight who tried to open the emergency door mid-air arrested after aircraft had to make an emergency landing.
A man who attempted to open the plane door mid-flight was subdued and restrained by fellow passengers on an American Airlines flight.
The incident forced the Chicago-bound flight 1219 to turn back and land in Albuquerque, New Mexico, around 2:40 p.m. on Tuesday, as per the Federal Aviation Administration.
One of the passengers, Barstool Sports’ “Wonton Don”, witnessed the man’s attempt to open the door about 30 minutes into the flight.
He later shared a photo of the man being taken away by four police officers.
American Airlines stated that the flight was disrupted by “a customer who caused a disturbance in the cabin.”
The incident, captured on lens, occurred on Tuesday, when the flight was en route from Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Chicago.
Wonton Don was one of the passengers who helped stop the man, posted on X, (formerly Twitter), and shared his experience in a post.
“30 minutes after departing Albuquerque I was shaken out of my Panda Express and Tequila induced stupor by a man trying to aggressively open the airplane door 4 rows back. Me and 5 other dudes had to wrestle him into the aisle, duct tape his legs, and throw flexi-cuffs on him. Just safely landed back in ABQ but HOLY S**T,” he wrote.
Another passenger, who was not involved in the scuffle, also posted on X about the terrifying ordeal. She shared “Flying back home from ABQ and we’ve been in the air for about 30 minutes and a huge gush of wind comes out of no where. This guy opened the emergency exit door. People were tackling him down and put him in zip ties. Had to emergency land back.” She attached a video that showed the man, whose identity has not been revealed by the authorities, being escorted off the plane by the six heroes.
According to her post, the man managed to open the door slightly, causing a “huge gush of wind” to enter the cabin. This corroborates the statement from American Airlines, which said that there was “a disturbance in the cabin involving a disruptive customer.” The airline also said that the flight landed safely and that local law enforcement in Albuquerque took the man into custody.
A third user, who claimed to be a friend of the second passenger, also expressed his shock and anger on X.
“Leyla was on this flight and it was terrifying texting her without knowing what was going on. F**k this dude,” he expressed.
He praised the six passengers who intervened and said they were “heroes.”
Disclaimer: This Article is auto-generated from the HT service.
