A Delta Air Lines flight from Las Vegas to Atlanta was grounded Sunday afternoon when a passenger tried to open the cabin door.
"We had an unruly passenger," Delta spokesman Anthony Black said.
Around 1:50 p.m., Transportation Security Administration was notified of a disruptive passenger on board Flight 1702, TSA spokesman Jon Allen said.
“For two or three minutes, it was very scary,” said Katie Hindman, who was returning home to Atlanta from vacation.
About an hour into the flight, Hindman said a man sitting in one of the emergency exit seats tried to open the emergency latch while the plane was at cruising altitude of more than 30,000 feet.
She was seated several rows behind the aisle where the incident occur, but could see a crowd gathered around the seat.
“It seemed that he retreated, and the passengers backed off,” Hindman said. “But he made a second run for it, and a big group of guys tackled him.”
She said the man laid on the ground for about 40 minutes as the plane returned to its departure point and flight staff subdued him.
“I thought Delta handled the situation really well,” Hindman said. “They struck a good balance of being professional and at the same time letting passengers know what what was going on.”
Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said the emergency doors won’t open while the cabin is pressurized, which is the case when the plane is in flight.
The flight returned safely to McCarran International Airport, where the individual was arrested by Las Vegas police, Allen said.
The disruptive passenger was arrested at the gate, and the plane took off again, arriving in Atlanta at 7:05 p.m.
(Hat tip to Jim in Augusta, Georgia < < - - - - Loves helicopters)
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