The passengers of an American Airlines flight duct-taped a man on flight after he tried to open the plane door mid-air. According to New York Post, the Chicago-bound plane was forced to return to Albuquerque, New Mexico, due to the incident that took place on Tuesday. The flight involved in the incident was 1219 that landed at Albuquerque International Sunport Airport, the outlet further said, citing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). As many as six passengers were involved in restraining the man and they used “flexi-cuffs” along with duct tapes, as per an update posted on X by a user.
“30 minutes after departing Albuquerque I was shaken out of my Panda Express and Tequila induced stupor by a man trying to aggressively open the airplane door 4 rows back,” said the X user who was on the flight.
“Me and 5 other dudes had to wrestle him into the aisle, duct tape his legs, and throw flexi-cuffs on him,” he added.
Another passenger, who wasn’t part of the six-member group, also posted about the event on X, saying it was “one of the scariest days of my life.”
One of the scariest days of my life. Flying back home from ABQ and we’ve been in the air for about 30 minutes and a huge gush of wind comes out of no where. This guy opened the emergency exit door. People were tackling him down and put him in zip ties. Had to emergency land back. pic.twitter.com/PojFvDU3rS
— ＬΛＹＺ (@layzdubz) February 20, 2024
“Flying back home from ABQ and we’ve been in the air for about 30 minutes and a huge gush of wind comes out of no where. This guy opened the emergency exit door. People were tackling him down and put him in zip ties. Had to emergency land back,” she further said in her post on X.
American Airlines issued a statement on the incident in which it said that the flight landed safely and that the perpetrator was led out of the aircraft by local law enforcement in Albuquerque. They stated that there had been “a disturbance in the cabin involving a disruptive customer.”
