A passenger tried — and failed — to open a door Monday on a commercial airliner at cruising altitude after it left New York, prompting the pilot to make an emergency landing in the Twin Cities.
Passenger tries to open Alaska Airlines door in-flight; plane diverts to MSP
The man was arrested, and the flight resumed late Monday morning, a spokeswoman for Alaska Airlines said.
August 29, 2016 at 6:44PM
Alaska Airlines spokeswoman Halley Knigge said the man was arrested, and the Boeing 737-900ER resumed its flight to Seattle about 11:40 a.m. with 180 better-behaved passengers still aboard.
The man "attempted to access one of the doors in the rear of the aircraft," Knigge said. "The disruptive customer was removed by law enforcement."
She said opening a door while the aircraft is aloft is "not possible" because of differences in the air pressure inside and outside the plane.
Flight 7 departed JFK Airport about 7:15 EDT and landed at Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport at 9:45 a.m. CDT, Knigge said.
The airline did not disclose the man's identity or explain why he wanted to open the door.
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