An American Airlines flight was forced to return to New 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 question was leaving from Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ) on Tuesday, February 21st. Shortly after beginning its journey to Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), a passenger sitting in one of the exit row seats reportedly attempted to open the emergency exit door and escape the plane.
According to videos posted on the social media site X, the passengers in question can be seen being restrained by fellow passengers following the incident. Footage from multiple sources shows several people holding down a man in a red shirt, who is later seen with duct tape around his feet. Speaking to local ABC affiliate KOAT 7, fellow passenger Emma Ritz detailed her experience of the event:
“He was sitting at the emergency exit, and he cracked open the window that was protecting the handle. He ripped down the handle where it exposed some of the emergency exit and all the wind came rushing down.
“The guy was screaming ‘I want to get out’ when he was restrained. I’m just curious what was going on with him, why he needed to get out of the plane.”
Further details on what transpired during the flight were not immediately available. When reached for comment, a spokesperson for the airline confirmed the incident was due to a disruptive customer:
“American Airlines flight 1219 with service from Albuquerque (ABQ) to Chicago (ORD) returned to ABQ shortly after takeoff due to a disturbance in 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
Simple Flying previously explored the mechanics of opening an emergency exit in flight, which would have been impossible at that stage of the journey due to cabin pressurization.
Heading back home
The Boeing 737-800, registered N352PS, was delivered new 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 just over 27,000 feet before it began its descent. Turning east, the plane flew around Las Vegas and back down to the New Mexico airport, touching down at around 14:40.
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The incident occurred on a flight bound 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 four uniformed police officers. When reached for comment on the incident by Simple Flying, The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed it is investigating the incident:
“American Airlines Flight 1219 returned safely to Albuquerque International Sunport Airport in New 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 were not immediately available for comment as of press time.
