American Airlines flight makes emergency landing due to unruly passenger

An American Airlines (A1G) (AAL) flight from Los Angeles to Washington D.C had to be diverted and make an emergency landing in Kansas City due to a unruly passenger.

An American Airlines (A1G) (AAL) spokesperson confirmed to AeroTime that flight AA1775 with service from Los Angeles (LAX) to Washington, D.C. (DCA) was diverted to Kansas City (MCI) on February 13, 2022 “due to an unruly passenger displaying erratic behavior”. The spokesperson added that the passenger was ”ultimately subdued by our crew and with the help of other passengers”.

According to witnesses, a passenger tried to break into the aircraft’s cockpit and attempted to open an emergency exit door. 

Passengers were able to capture the incident when flight attendants and fellow passengers tried to subdue the unruly passenger.

According to some witnesses, a flight attendant had to make do with a coffee pot to use as a weapon to strike the unruly passenger who attempted to open the emergency exit door. 

The Association of Professional Flight Attendants, representing flight attendants of American Airlines (A1G) (AAL), confirmed in a tweet that the unruly passenger tried to open the forward passenger door of the aircraft.

American Airlines (A1G) (AAL) told AeroTime that the flight was able to safely land at Kansas City Airport (MCI), where the unruly passenger was met by law enforcement on arrival. 

Flight tracker site FlightRadar was able to capture the flight’s diversion:

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FBI Kansas City has released a statement regarding the incident, saying that the flight was diverted due to a passenger interfering with the flight crew. FBI Kansas City also said that, “The individual has been taken into custody. As this is an ongoing matter, the FBI is unable to comment further.”

American Airlines (A1G) (AAL) added: “We’re grateful to our crew members, who are consistently dedicated to the safety and care of our customers and who handled the circumstances with the utmost skill and professionalism. We also appreciate the customers who stepped in to assist our crew.”

 

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