A passenger on a Delta Air Lines Boeing 737 flying to Nashville, Tennessee from Los Angeles, California, tried to break into the cockpit yesterday. As a result, the flight was forced to divert to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the FBI was called to investigate.
The 162 passengers and six crew members on board Flight DL386 were in for a fright when an unruly passenger approached the cabin with force. Videos shared on Twitter show passengers and flight attendants attempting to restrain the man. Additional footage shows the person tied up on a seat later on, unable to cause further issues.
According to journalist Jessica Robertson, who happened to be on the aircraft, the man was heard shouting “stop the plane,” before flight attendant Christopher Williams swiftly took action to handle the situation. Altogether, according to the FBI, there was no threat to the public, and passengers were seated before the pilots made an emergency landing in Albuquerque to deplane the unruly traveler.
A word from Delta
Delta is also thankful to the crew. The airline shared the following statement after a request for comment by Simple Flying:
“Thanks to the crew and passengers of Delta Flight 386, LAX to Nashville (BNA), who assisted in detaining an unruly passenger as the flight diverted to Albuquerque (ABQ). The aircraft landed without incident and the passenger was removed by law enforcement. We apologize to our customers for the delay any additional inconvenience.”
Another service from Albuquerque to Nashville took the passengers to their intended destination. Overall, those on board arrived in Tennessee approximately six hours behind schedule.
Not taken lightly
Unruly passengers aren’t taken lightly by officials. At the end of last month, the FAA proposed nearly $65,000 in fines against five passengers for their behavior on airlines across the US. There have been several cases of travelers causing havoc in the cabin over the last few years, several also involving cockpits.
It’s not always humans that are also trying to find their way into the flight deck. Earlier this year, a cat was found in the cockpit of a 737 in Isreal!
Nonetheless, it’s not a surprise why authorities are keen to crack down on incidents involving disrupting passengers. Thankfully, those on board managed to subdue this particular aggravator, but things could have got further out of hand.
Source: HERE
