Passengers aboard an American Airlines plane to Texas were forced to take matters into their own hands and duct-tape a man who posed a physical threat to flight attendants and attempted to open one of the doors mid-flight. The incident transpired last week when flight 1915 took off from Milwaukee as the unruly man approached the cabin crew and asked to open the aircraft door. After receiving a prompt rejection, the man started growing agitated, according to a reporter issued by the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport Department of Public Safety. He then rushed towards the door, hitting the attendant as she attempted to block him.
A passenger named Dough McCright, who saw the events unfolding in front of him, quickly assessed the situation and started planning his next move.
“I could tell that the conversation was not going very well,” Mr McCright told Fox4, adding that the man ignored the flight attendant despite her repeated attempts to reason and talk sense. After the attendant signalled for help, Mr McCright jumped in and addressed the man.
“I said, ‘Sir, she wants you to go back to your seat. You need to go back to your seat’. He turns and he says, ‘I’m getting off this flight! I want off this flight!’”
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Investigation underway
As the situation escalated, Mr McCright grabbed the heckler from behind and held him back. Several other passengers, including one Charlie Boris, came to aid Mr McCright in pinning the man. The two men, alongside another passenger, dropped the heckler to the ground and taped his hands and feet while holding him for the last half an hour of the flight.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (GBI) have started their probe into the incident. The accused has not been charged with a crime but was taken to a hospital for mental health evaluation. He has not been named by the authorities so far.
“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,” read a statement by American Airlines.