Mid-air horror as passenger sparks ‘security concern’ on United Airlines flight with 153 onboard
Passengers on a United Airlines flight were diverted after an unruly passenger tried to enter the cockpit, creating a ‘security concern’.
United Flight 2005 departed from Chicago O’Hare International to Minneapolis St Paul International at 8:02 a.m. CDT on Friday, but a diversion delayed the trip for more than five hours.
Flight tracking data showed that the plane with 153 people on board was diverted to Wisconsin’s Dane County Regional Airport just an hour and a half after takeoff.
A spokesperson for the airline confirmed to the Daily Mail that the flight landed safely after addressing a ‘safety concern regarding an incautious passenger’.
A photo taken on the plane shows a man in a blue shirt being escorted off the plane by several police officers.
Some passengers said on social media that the enemy pilot, who has not yet been identified, was shouting and screaming in Russian during the mid-flight struggle.
Radio broadcast from the airport, reviewed by ABC affiliate WISNIt found that one person told the air traffic control tower that law enforcement was already on the plane and intervened after an unruly passenger tried to storm the cockpit.
“I don’t think they were able to handcuff him, but after multiple attempts to get into the cockpit they were able to gain control of him,” the person said.
United Airlines plane had to make an emergency landing after a passenger allegedly tried to enter the cockpit
The flight was diverted to Dane County Regional Airport en route to Minneapolis St Paul International Airport.
Milwaukee’s FBI office worked with the local sheriff’s department to remove the passenger
‘He’s sitting in a chair and there are law enforcement officers on either side of him.
There were 147 passengers and 6 crew members on board the Boeing 737 at the time, and no injuries were reported, United said in a statement.
The Milwaukee FBI field office said in a statement to WISN that it “immediately responded” to the reports.
“One person was taken into custody by the Dane County Sheriff’s Office and the passengers then continued their flight,” the statement said.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the plane landed safely in Wisconsin after ‘passenger distress’.
Flight tracking data showed the plane landed at Dane County Regional Airport at 9:29 CDT and took off toward Minneapolis at 1:25 CDT. Passengers finally touched down at their destination in St. Paul at 2:19 AM CDT.
The crew reported an attempted cockpit breach, which led to a diversion to Dane County Regional Airport. There were no injuries and the plane landed safely.
The incident is one of more than 640 reports of unruly passengers so far this year, according to the FAA.
Offenders who attack, threaten, intimidate or even interfere with airline crew members could face fines of up to $43,658 and even criminal penalties.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the FAA, United, the FBI and the sheriff’s office for comment.
