An unruly passenger sparked a security alert on board a United Airlines flight carrying 153 people as he attempted to storm the cockpit.
United Flight 2005 took off from Chicago O’Hare International on Friday at 8.02pm CDT en route to Minneapolis St Paul International, but was diverted to an airport in Wisconsin following the mid-air drama.
A spokesperson for the airline confirmed to the Daily Mail that the flight landed safely after addressing a ‘security concern with an unruly passenger.’
An image taken on board showed a man in a blue shirt being escorted off the aircraft by several police officers.
Several passengers said on social media that the as-yet unidentified hostile flier was ranting in Russian during the mid-flight struggle.
Radio transmission from the airport, reviewed by ABC affiliate WISN, revealed an individual telling the air traffic control tower that law enforcement officers were already on the plane as they just happened to be traveling on the flight and stepped in after an unruly passenger attempted to storm the cockpit.
‘Don’t think they were able to cuff him but were able to get control of him after multiple attempts to try to breach the cockpit,’ the person said.
Flight tracking data showed that the plane was diverted to Dane County Regional Airport in Wisconsin just an hour and a half after takeoff.
A United Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing after a passenger allegedly tried to storm the cockpit. A passenger snapped this photo of officers on the plane detaining the man
The flight was diverted to Dane County Regional Airport en route to Minneapolis St Paul International Airport
Milwaukee’s FBI office responded, along with the local sheriff’s department, to remove the passenger
‘He is seated in a seat and flanked by law enforcement officers on either side.’
United said in a statement that there were 147 passengers and six crew on board the Boeing 737 at the time and no injuries were reported.
The Milwaukee FBI field office told WISN in a statement that it ‘responded immediately’ to the concerning reports.
‘A subject was detained by the Dane County Sheriff’s Office and afterwards, passengers resumed their flight,’ the statement added.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the flight landed safely in Wisconsin after a ‘passenger disturbance.’
Flight tracking data showed that the flight landed at Dane County Regional Airport at 9.29pm CDT and took off for Minneapolis Saturday at 1.25am CDT. The passengers finally landed at their destination in St Paul at 2.19am CDT.
The crew reported an attempted cockpit breach, resulting in the diversion to Dane County Regional Airport. No injuries were reported and the flight landed safely
The incident marks one of over 640 reports of unruly passengers so far this year, according to the FAA.
Offenders who assault, threaten, intimidate or even interfere with airline crew members can face fines up to $43,658 and even criminal charges.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the FAA, United, the FBI and the sheriff’s office for comment.
