An Ontario man allegedly had to be restrained with duct tape after trying to open an emergency exit door mid-flight and injuring a flight attendant, according to an incident report obtained from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
According to the report, a man from Collingwood, Ont., had to held down by other passengers after insisting he was “captain” and attempting to get off the plane.
The American Airlines flight, en route from Milwaukee to Dallas on Nov. 19, was in the last stretch of its journey when one of the flight attendants onboard was approached by the man in question, leading to the confrontation.
According to police statements in the report, the flight attendant initially thought the man had gotten up to throw a cup in the lavatory but instead approached her in a “loud and agitated” way. The report then said he complimented the flight attendant’s watch and face mask, then made a comment about “needing to exit the aircraft now.”
Matters quickly escalated from there and it’s alleged the man tried to make a run for the door, the report said.
The flight attendant, referred to only as Jackson in the report, quickly attempted to block him, pinning herself between the man and the exit as he jumped on her. She sustained injuries on her wrist and neck after being held in a “semi-chokehold,” according to witnesses onboard cited in the report.
The flight attendant tried to divert the man’s attention and de-escalate matters while calling for help from colleagues, according to her statement.
She said she was “hit hard and braced her arms out sideways blocking the … door,” before three other passengers stepped in and put the man in a bear hold.
A second flight attendant handed the helping passengers some tape, and they bound his wrists and legs, according to the report.
Passengers kept him pinned down on the airplane floor for the rest of the flight.
Upon landing, seven police officers and six FBI agents were waiting at the scene. Two officers boarded and took the man out of the aircraft onto a wheelchair, and he was detained for further investigation, one officer wrote in the report.
An American Airlines spokesperson said the airline was aware of the incident in which “flight 1915 was met by law enforcement upon arrival at DFW due to a disruptive customer.”
“We thank our team members and customers for managing a difficult situation,” they said.