FAA investigating after a passenger tried to open cabin door on regional jet, forcing an emergency landing
By Alexandra Skores, Aaron Cooper, CNN
Washington (CNN) — The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating after a passenger tried to open the cabin door and led a regional jet to make an emergency landing on Tuesday.
United Airlines Flight 3989, operated by Mesa Airlines, landed back in Indianapolis after being in the air for just 15 minutes, according to tracking site FlightAware.com. The flight was heading to Houston.
“We have a belligerent passenger trying to open the cabin door,” the pilot told air traffic controllers in audio recorded by ATC.com. “We have passengers trying to get him secured in a seat right now.”
The Embraer 175 regional jet landed safely and taxied to the gate, where the disruptive passenger was deplaned, a spokesperson for Mesa Airlines told CNN.
Airport police responded and detained the passenger involved, the Indianapolis Airport Authority told CNN affiliate WISH.
The aircraft later continued its flight to Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, landing nearly two hours late.
More than 830 unruly passengers have been reported so far this year, the FAA said.
Incidents in recent weeks include a man who tried to open an exit door of a Frontier Airlines plane before being restrained by a passenger who was a jiu-jitsu instructor.
Last month, a United Airlines plane diverted to Madison, Wisconsin, after a passenger made “multiple attempts to try to breach the cockpit,” according to air traffic control audio.
Disruptive passengers can face criminal charges, and civil penalties can exceed $43,000 per violation, the FAA warned.
CNN’s Alaa Elassar, and Martin Goillandeau contributed to this report.
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