An American Airlines flight from Albuquerque to Chicago was involved in an incident involving a man who “aggressively” attempted to open the plane’s door mid-flight.
According to the Independent, on Tuesday, February 20, flight AA1219 was about 30 minutes into its scheduled nearly three-hour flight when the man tried to open the emergency exit. Six men reportedly “wrestled with him on the floor in the aisle” before they managed to wrap tape around his legs and shackle him with plastic handcuffs. Video of the incident quickly went viral on social media.
Some of the passengers on board spoke about the incident on X (formerly Twitter).
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. Me and 5 other dudes had to wrestle him into the aisle, duct tape his legs, and throw flexi-cuffs on him.… pic.twitter.com/zkrtEveYgQ
— The Wonton Don (@DonnieDoesWorld) February 20, 2024
“I barely woke up when I saw a man trying to aggressively open the door of the plane 4 rows ahead of me,” wrote one user with the nickname The Wonton Don.
“One of the scariest days of my life,” Lay Z wrote.
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
The passenger also added that a “powerful gust of wind” came “out of nowhere” when the man opened the emergency exit. The plane reportedly made a U-turn and made an emergency landing back in Albuquerque. The video shows a man in handcuffs being taken from the plane to the airfield by four police officers.
“Flight 1219 from Albuquerque (ABQ) to Chicago (ORD) returned to ABQ shortly after takeoff due to a disturbance in the cabin caused by a disruptive passenger. The flight landed safely and the aircraft was met by local law enforcement upon arrival,” American Airlines said.
It is noted that airlines will be required to warn passengers that aircraft doors cannot be opened, according to new operating rules, in order to avoid attempts to open emergency exits during the flight.