A Delta Air Lines flight from Seattle destined to Beijing had to take a U-turn back to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport late Thursday evening after an angry passenger threw a punch at a flight attendant.
A spokesman for Sea-Tac Airport Perry Cooper said the 23-year-old male passenger was sitting in first-class of Delta Flight 129 that departed at 5:30 pm, but 45 minutes later the passenger caused an in-flight altercation when he attacked a flight attendant.
According to other passengers on the flight who witnessed the altercation, the man was pacing up and down the plane towards the bathroom before heading to the exit door attempting to open it because he “needed air”. When the flight attendant attempted to stop him he punched him.
Passengers teamed-up to help to restrain the man (who was later arrested when the plane landed back in Sea-Tac). One other person was injured along with the flight attendant, they were both taken to the hospital.
Witness and passenger Dustin Jones told KIRO-TV, “One of the flight attendants ran back and said there was a Code 3, there was a serious fight up front”.
Another passenger said, “They broke two bottles of wine on his head. I tried to choke him and he just threw me off like a rag doll.”
A man claims he managed to restrain the agitated passenger by sitting on him while the Delta flight returned to Sea-Tac.
When the plane landed back in Seattle the man was zip-tied to a wheelchair. Jones said: “He started yelling for help, and so he turned the wheelchair over in the middle of the airport, screaming for people to help him, just being belligerent.”
Delta Airlines released the following statement on the matter:
“Flight 129 returned to Seattle following a security incident with a passenger. The passenger was restrained onboard and was removed from the flight by law enforcement without further incident when the aircraft arrived back in Seattle. The flight is scheduled to re-depart for Beijing later this evening.”
The man was arrested and the people who were injured were taken to a hospital.
Airlines have seen a myriad of incidents of violence on board over the past few months alone.
Recently, Delta Airlines threatened a passenger who refused to get off the plane that his children might end up in foster care if he did not obey their requests.
Sources:
The post Delta Flight Makes Emergency Landing After Passenger Attempts To Enter Cockpit appeared first on David Avocado Wolfe.