Armed police stormed a grounded flight after a strange banging noise was heard on board.
At around 30,000ft the sound was reported on an American Airlines flight from Ezeiza International Airport in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Crew could not find the source, and police were alerted to a potential danger. The pilot detoured the flight, which was originally due for New York, and made an emergency landing.
Flight 954 lifted off at 9.15pm Thursday (October 31) with an ETA of 6.50am Friday (November 1). But the aircraft, soaring over Córdoba, abruptly rerouted back to Buenos Aires for an urgent landing after take-off.
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Commotion arose when crew and passengers heard noises which they thought may have been caused by someone pounding from inside the cargo hold.
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
A journalist on the flight told Cadena 3 radio the pilot initially cited a technical difficulty for the return before suggesting the possibility of an individual trapped in the cargo bay. American Airlines has since confirmed nobody was found there following an extensive search.
Argentina’s leading newspaper, Clarín, reported the deployment of the Special Tactical Assault Group (GEAT), the Explosives and Special Weapons Control Group (GEDEX), and the Canine Technology Binomial to address the situation.
Additional personnel from the National Civil Aviation Administration (ANAC), PFA Firefighters, and Health were on hand for the operation. Despite a thorough inspection of the aircraft’s cargo holds, “negative results” were reported with no indications of danger detected.
(Image: Twitter/X/nanudandrea)
Emergency services stated: “The hold was opened and the unloading of the luggage containers began, without anything outside the normal parameters being seen at the time.”
Ultimately, the flight faced was cancelled as the crew had exceeded their allowable work hours. American Airlines eventually rescheduled the flight.
Passengers expressed their annoyance about the ordeal, recounting how they spent hours onboard before being informed of what was occurring. A passenger said the situation seemed “unusual” and like it was “straight out of a movie” while another described the incident as “scary”.
By Friday, American Airlines issues a statement saying there had been no problems with the aircraft, adding: “Reports of a person in cargo are not accurate.”
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