An unruly passenger who shouted threats to passengers onboard Alaska Airlines flight 422 forced the carrier’s Airbus A320 to divert back to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA).
Flight 422 was on its way to Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) from Seattle, Washington, United States, when an unruly passenger took to the aisle and started to threaten passengers, forcing the Airbus A320 to turn back to SEA.
The incident occurred shortly after take-off. The Alaska Airlines flight took to the skies at 11:14 PM local time (UTC -7) and was scheduled to arrive at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) at 5:00 AM local time (UTC -5).
However, after taking off, the aircraft leveled at FL14 and began its descent back to its origin airport, as the traveler was subdued by a crew member and three passengers, one of whom was a policeman, reported the Seattle Times.
The crew did not squawk 7700, a radio code for general emergency on board, flightradar24.com data showcases.
“The man became extremely belligerent and physically aggressive during the ascent,” external communications manager of Alaska Airlines Ray Lane told in a statement to the Seattle Times.
No passengers or crew members sustained any injuries during the ordeal.
