Chaos on Delta Air Lines flight as passenger ‘tries to breach cockpit’
A passenger was detained after allegedly attempting to breach the cockpit of a Delta Air Lines flight from Houston to Atlanta – police are now investigating
The Delta Air Lines flight was bound for Atlanta(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
A passenger was held after reportedly trying to force their way into the cockpit of a Delta Air Lines aircraft. The service was due to leave Houston at 5:17am on Wednesday, heading for Atlanta. Departure was postponed when Houston Police Department officers were called following reports of a passenger attempting to enter the cockpit area.
The person was escorted off the aircraft and it eventually took off around 7am. Houston Police confirmed the person removed from the plane was thought to be suffering from a mental health episode.
No casualties were reported. According to ABC13, a Delta Air Lines jet was spotted stationed at Gate 32 at William P. Hobby Airport during the early hours of Wednesday morning, reports the Mirror.
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Multiple police cars had circled the aircraft.
The details surrounding the supposed cockpit intrusion attempt remain murky, and it’s still unknown how near the person got to the protected flight deck.
The episode was verified by Houston Airports in a statement, according to the Houston Chronicle. “At approximately 5:40 AM, a Delta Airlines aircraft returned to HOU for an incident that resulted in a Houston Police Dept. response,” a spokesperson said in an email.
This follows after shocked passengers filmed the terrifying moment when part of a Delta Air Lines wing disintegrated during flight.
The aircraft departed from Orlando Airport bound for Austin-Bergstrom International when bewildered travellers peered through their windows to discover a section of the Boeing 737’s rear wing had partly torn away.
“We felt it was bad turbulence. The plane was shaking,” passenger Shanila Arif said last summer. “The lady in front of us opened the window and told us it is broken. I opened the window and got scared,” she told CNN.
Following touchdown, “it was observed that a portion of the left wing’s flap was not in place,” Delta Air Lines said in a statement. “The aircraft has been taken out of service for maintenance,” it added.
“We apologise to our customers for their experience as nothing is more important than the safety of our people and customers,” the airline said. No injuries were reported.
