American Airlines passengers were understandably shaken after enduring an emergency landing. But this wasn't just any emergency landing. Instead of dealing with a plane malfunction, this plane was forced to land quickly after a crazed passenger threatened to blow up the plane.
American Airlines Makes Emergency Landing After Crazed Passenger Makes Threats
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The NY Post shared details from this terrifying encounter. Apparently, the flight was leaving from New York and heading towards Chicago when it had to make its emergency landing. Passenger Sona Jones spoke to CBS News about the situation, arguing that it was "an awfully, awfully long day for all of us." The Post shared that the plane was only an hour away from its destination when the mayhem broke out.
The flight crew began asking passengers if there were any medical personnel on board. Apparently, that was the wrong question to ask. Another witness to the event, Gerry Sutofsky, shared that a person did not like that question. "We hear this person in the back, screaming, yelling 'No, no, no,' and 'he can't get off the plane, and he didn't take his meds."
The individual in question proceeded to become more irate. Quickly, he became aggressive, threatening both the flight crew and passengers. At one point, a witness claimed he yelled, "I'm going to blow up the plane," and "kill you all."
Safe On The Ground, But The Drama Is Not Over
The Post reported that the pilots decided to divert to Detroit Metro Airport in Romulus, Michigan. Upon landing, the plane was swarmed with medical personnel as well as law enforcement. Together, they removed the irate passenger from the plane. While it is good news that the plane landed successfully and the troublesome passenger was removed, it was still a dramatic experience for the rest of the passengers.
One witness explained that a man boarded the plane with a machine gun and told everyone to put their heads down and hands up...talk about a memorable flight. Afterward, the remaining passengers were "forced to deplane with a police escort." Then they had to wait at the terminal for a new flight to Chicago and for this nightmare of a trip to finally be over.
