US: A guy who attempts to unlock the aircraft door in midair is restrained by other passengers using duct tape

Albuquerque: A guy who allegedly attempted to open an aircraft door in midair had to be restrained with duct tape by other passengers on an American Airlines flight headed for Chicago.

According to an American Airlines representative who talked with USA Today, the incident occurred on Tuesday aboard AA Flight 1219, which was traveling from Albuquerque, New Mexico to O’Hare International Airport in Chicago.
Social media users shared footage of a guy wearing a black hoodie and red shirt that went viral, showing him being detained by other passengers next to an escape door. The man seemed to be tied up and held down by a group of men. Afterwards, the individual was taken into custody by police and led in handcuffs off of the aircraft.

During an interview with many passengers, including Emma Ritz, the Albuquerque TV station KOAT reported that the guy attempted to open an emergency door while the plane was in the air. “He was sitting at the emergency exit and he cracked open the window that was protecting the handle,” said Ritz.

The aircraft had to make an emergency landing.

According to eyewitness accounts, the belligerent passenger attempted to open an emergency escape door in midair, causing chaos inside the aircraft. Other passengers had to attack him, and he was then zip-tied and duct-taped before being handed over to the police.

According to KOAT, the guy was subdued by six other passengers on the aircraft, who then put on flex cuffs and duct taped his feet to keep him held in the aisle until the trip was over. Ritz told KOAT, “When he was restrained, the guy was screaming, ‘I want to get out.'”

Shortly after departure, the aircraft returned to Albuquerque International Airport “due to a disturbance in the cabin involving a disruptive customer,” according to an airline representative. After the aircraft made a safe emergency landing, law enforcement officers got on board.

At 2:40 p.m., the airplane safely returned to New Mexico, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, and investigators are looking into the incident. According to authorities, the situation is also being looked into by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Unruly travelers causing problems for international travel
Travel abroad has reportedly been hampered by rowdy passengers on many occasions. According to CNN, earlier this month, a Canadian citizen was taken into custody in Thailand when, just before to takeoff, he opened the plane’s door, triggering the evacuation slide. Before that, in South Korea, a guy felt suffocated and wanted to leave the jet as soon as possible, so he opened the door.

As of Sunday, flight attendants had reported over 250 instances of rowdy passengers to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) this year. The number of these complaints increased to about 6,000 in 2021 as more people started using airplanes again after a drop during the Covid-19 epidemic. According to FAA records, almost 2,000 complaints of rowdy passengers were recorded in 2022 and 2023.