An incident occurred in which a passenger on a plane opened an emergency exit before takeoff and walked on the wing of the plane, causing passengers to evacuate and flight operations to be delayed.
According to CNN on the 27th (local time), the day before, a Southwest Airlines plane was waiting to depart from Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Atlanta, when a male passenger suddenly opened the emergency exit and climbed onto the plane’s wing.
At the time of the incident, the plane was stationary and the 38-year-old reportedly committed the act while other passengers were boarding.
He was caught by airport staff on the ground. The plane was delayed for two hours due to the sudden commotion.
The airport sheriff’s office said in a statement that the man was a 38-year-old American and that he was not carrying anything like a weapon, and that no passengers were injured during the incident.
According to video of the incident released through social media, many panicked passengers can be seen evacuating the plane and running frantically down the runway.
Additionally, a scene was captured where a man boarding a plane was subdued by airport employees.
The man is currently being transported to a local hospital due to suspected mental illness, and is expected to undergo a police investigation after being discharged.
Local agents said that when they confronted him, he “appeared incoherent and completely unaware of his surroundings.”
“We thank our flight attendants and ground crew for their quick action, and we apologize to our customers for the inconvenience,” said Southwest Airlines spokesman Chris Perry.
“I was really scared,” said Jed Webster, a passenger on the plane at the time.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.