An eyewitness informed CNN the passenger was making an attempt to get into the cockpit and open the airplane door.
By Joe Sutton, Sonnet Swire and Amir Vera | CNN
An American Airways flight was diverted to Kansas Metropolis Worldwide Airport in Missouri on Sunday afternoon due to “an unruly passenger,” the airline mentioned in a press release.
“American Airways flight 1775 with service from Los Angeles (LAX) to Washington, D.C. (DCA) diverted to Kansas Metropolis (MCI) because of an unruly passenger,” the assertion, supplied to CNN, mentioned.
“The flight landed safely at MCI at 2:28 p.m. native time, and regulation enforcement was requested to fulfill the flight on arrival,” it added. “We’re grateful to our crew members, who're constantly devoted to the security and care of our prospects and who dealt with the circumstances with the utmost talent and professionalism.”
Kansas Metropolis Aviation Division spokesperson Joe McBride informed CNN there was a “passenger interfering with the flight crew,” including the incident might be beneath the jurisdiction of the FBI.
The FBI confirmed the incident in a press release to CNN, including the person in query had been taken into custody.
The passenger, a 50-year-old man, has been charged with one rely of assaulting and intimidating a flight attendant and thereby interfering within the efficiency of the flight attendant’s duties, in keeping with a US Justice Division information launch.
The person will stay in federal custody till a detention listening to is scheduled, the discharge mentioned.
Flight attendants and passengers subdued passenger
The person, who's 6 toes, 3 inches tall and 240 kilos, informed flight attendants “individuals have been trying to harm him and so they adopted him on the airplane,” in keeping with an affidavit of the incident.
The person went on to inform flight attendants “he heard the people harming his household over the phone,” the affidavit mentioned. When requested what the people appeared like, the passenger informed flight attendants one was sitting subsequent to him on the airplane and one other had a knife.
A flight attendant took the person’s telephone and noticed he tried to name 911, however couldn’t get by, the affidavit mentioned.
Minutes after being seated, the person requested for a cup of water after which walked to the cockpit space of the airplane, “and informed the flight attendants that they weren't flying and that the flight attendants have been mendacity to him.” A flight attendant used a beverage cart to create distance between her and the passenger, the affidavit mentioned.
The person then grabbed some plastic silverware, eliminated the serviette round it and positioned the silverware in his shirt sleeve “holding it like a shank,” the Justice Division information launch mentioned. A flight attendant informed investigators he felt threatened by the knife.
“(The person) then grabbed a small champagne bottle by the neck of the bottle and tried to interrupt the bottle on the counter. He started kicking and shoving the service cart into one of many flight attendants,” the discharge mentioned.
The person then tried to tug open the airplane’s exit door, the discharge mentioned.
“A flight attendant grabbed a espresso pot and hit (the person) twice within the head with it,” the discharge mentioned. “A number of passengers got here ahead to help the flight attendants.”
A type of passengers was a police officer, who pulled the person away from the door. One passenger punched the person within the jaw and one other one grabbed him by the neck and pulled him to the ground, the discharge mentioned.
Flight attendants informed investigators they didn't serve the person any alcohol through the flight.
Mouaz Moustafa, a resident of Washington, DC, was aboard the flight and informed CNN when the flight landed, police and the FBI got here onboard. Passengers have been rescheduled on one other flight.
In accordance with FAA knowledge, 2021 was a foul 12 months for unruly airplane passenger conduct in the USA, with 5,981 experiences of unruly passengers logged by the company as of December 31. Of these, 4,290 — almost 72% — have been mask-related incidents.