CNN —Multiple people on an American Airlines flight pulled a fellow passenger to the floor after he tried to open one of the emergency exits, forcing the plane to return to Albuquerque, New Mexico, shortly after takeoff, according to multiple passengers.
As of Sunday, there have been more than 250 unruly passenger incidents reported to the FAA by flight crews this year, according to the agency.
The incident Tuesday began about twenty minutes into the flight, passenger Zach Etkind told CNN.
Multiple passengers got the man to the ground and flight attendants restrained him with duct tape and flexi cuffs, Etkind said.
And in November, a man on a Southwest Airlines flight opened an emergency exit door and climbed onto the plane’s wing while the aircraft was at a gate in New Orleans.
Persons:
Chicago “, ”, Zach Etkind, “, Emma Ritz, ” Ritz, Blaze Ward, KOAT, ” Ward, Etkind, Sunport
Organizations:
CNN, American Airlines, FAA, KOAT, Albuquerque, Albuquerque Division, Southwest Airlines
Locations:
Albuquerque , New Mexico, Chicago, ABQ, Canadian, Thailand, South Korea, New Orleans