An American Airlines flight was forced to return to Recent Mexico after a passenger tried to open the emergency exit doors. The incident occurred shortly after takeoff, and there have been no reported injuries.
What happened?
The flight in query was leaving from Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ) on Tuesday, February twenty first. Shortly after starting its journey to Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), a passenger sitting in one in every of the exit row seats reportedly attempted to open the emergency exit door and escape the plane.
In accordance with videos posted on the social media site X, the passengers in query might be seen being restrained by fellow passengers following the incident. Footage from multiple sources shows several people holding down a person in a red shirt, who’s later seen with duct tape around his feet. Chatting with local ABC affiliate KOAT 7, fellow passenger Emma Ritz detailed her experience of the event:
“He was sitting on the emergency exit, and he cracked open the window that was protecting the handle. He ripped down the handle where it exposed a number of the emergency exit and all of the wind got here rushing down.
“The guy was screaming ‘I need to get out’ when he was restrained. I’m just curious what was occurring with him, why he needed to get out of the plane.”
Further details on what transpired through the flight weren’t immediately available. When reached for comment, a spokesperson for the airline confirmed the incident was on account of a disruptive customer:
“American Airlines flight 1219 with service from Albuquerque (ABQ) to Chicago (ORD) returned to ABQ shortly after takeoff on account of a disturbance within the cabin involving a disruptive customer. The flight landed safely and the aircraft was met by local law enforcement upon arrival.”
Photo: Albuquerque International Sunport
Easy Flying previously explored the mechanics of opening an emergency exit in flight, which might have been unattainable at that stage of the journey on account of cabin pressurization.
Heading back home
The Boeing 737-800, registered N352PS, was delivered latest to American Airlines in September 2017 and has been flying with the oneworld carrier ever since. Operating as flight AA 1219, the plane departed ABQ nine minutes behind schedule at 13:54. Based on data from aircraft tracking website Flightradar24; the aircraft climbed to simply over 27,000 feet before it began its descent. Turning east, the plane flew around Las Vegas and back right down to the Recent Mexico airport, touching down at around 14:40.
![B737](https://static1.simpleflyingimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/b737-1.jpeg)
Aeromexico Passenger Arrested After Opening Aircraft Door And Walking On Wing In Mexico City
The incident occurred on a flight certain for Guatemala.
The plane was met by local law enforcement upon its return to the airport. Videos posted to X show a passenger being escorted off the aircraft by 4 uniformed law enforcement officials. When reached for comment on the incident by Easy Flying, The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed it’s investigating the incident:
“American Airlines Flight 1219 returned safely to Albuquerque International Sunport Airport in Recent Mexico around 2:40 p.m. local time on Tuesday, Feb. 20 after the crew reported a passenger disturbance. The Boeing 737 was headed to Chicago O’Hare International Airport. The FAA will investigate.”
Photo: Albuquerque International Sunport
Representatives for the local Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and the Albuquerque Police Department weren’t immediately available for comment as of press time.