A group of American Airlines passengers restrained a man with duct tape after he attempted to open the cabin door mid-flight and struck a flight attendant.
A report by the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport Department of Public Safety said the incident occurred on the morning of November 19 onboard American Airlines flight 1915 from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Dallas, Texas.
A Canadian passenger approached a flight attendant and asked to open the cabin door. When he was refused this, the passenger grew increasingly agitated. Newsweek has emailed the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for comment.
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Eventually, the man rushed toward the cabin door and struck a flight attendant in his attempt to leave the plane. Fellow passengers stepped in to help, subduing the suspect and assisting the flight attendant. The suspect was then eventually restrained with duct tape that was given to the passengers by the flight attendant. The man’s wrists were taped, and he was laid on his stomach for the last 30 minutes of the flight.
Passenger Doug McCright told Fox 4 KDFW station in Dallas that he saw the suspect asking the flight attendant to open the cabin door.
“I could tell that the conversation was not going very well. I said, ‘Sir, she wants you to go back to your seat. You need to go back to your seat,'” McCright said. “He turns and he says, ‘I’m getting off this flight! I want off this flight!'”
When the man lunged for the cabin door and struck the flight attendant, McCright says he was one of the passengers to restrain the suspect.
“We’re 30,000 feet in the air flying 300 and something miles an hour. There wasn’t any time to think; you just had to do something right now,” McCright said.
“It was kind of a fight or flight situation and everyone just really helped and put together effort, and we all get to go to Thanksgiving,” another passenger Charlie Boris also told Fox 4 KDFW.
Restraint tape is found in American Airlines’ onboard kit and is used in elevated safety or security situations onboard.
When the plane landed in Dallas just after 10 a.m., one passenger was still kneeling on the back of the suspect to keep him down.
Upon landing, FBI agents and Dallas airport staff were ready to assist. The suspect was detained by the FBI, escorted from the plane in a wheelchair, and taken for a medical examination.
As of the evening of November 20, no arrests have been made, and an investigation by the FAA is ongoing.
The flight attendant struck by the suspect also received medical attention for an injured neck and wrist.
In a statement to Newsweek, American Airlines said: “American Airlines flight 1915 with service from Milwaukee (MKE) to Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) was met by law enforcement upon arrival at DFW due to a disruptive customer. The safety and security of our customers and team members is our top priority and we thank our team members and customers for managing a difficult situation.”
Last week, an American Airlines flight narrowly avoided a mountain. Shortly after departing Honolulu International Airport in Hawaii, flight AA298 to Los Angeles International had to perform an “expeditious climb” to stay clear of mountainous terrain.
