Delta Air Lines flight 1730 from Los Angeles to Atlanta diverted to Oklahoma City in the wee hours of Saturday morning after a passenger on board is reported to have tried to open the aircraft’s forward boarding door.
Passengers report that the individual made an announcement that everyone “needed to be close to [their] oxygen masks.” The crew “called all the ‘strong men’ to the front of the plane to restrain” the man.
Here’s the scuffle at the front of the plane. While it was ‘near the cockpit’ reports that the man was trying to open the cockpit door are incorrect.
Terrifying moment a man is restrained by passengers & crew near cockpit.
Based on multiple reports & a check of flight tracks, this appears to be @Delta Flight 1730 (LAX – ATL) which diverted to Oklahoma City.
Developing story, details unconfirmed.pic.twitter.com/nlEa0WCkYY
— John Scott-Railton (@jsrailton) June 12, 2021
Here’s clearer video of the perpetrator being subdued by passengers.
A passenger on board says the person was a member of Delta’s cabin crew nonreving on the flight, and he attempted to open the aircraft door. Delta disputes this characterization (and there’s nothing about the appearance of a passenger alleged to be the perpetrator that would support the notion), as well as disagreeing with passengers who refer to the incident as an attempted ‘hijacking’. Actually opening the boarding door would have been nearly impossible given the cabin’s pressurization.
UPDATES: According to a passenger the man who tried to take down the Delta airlines 1730 was apparently a flight attendant
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) June 12, 2021
According to Delta,
Thanks to the crew and passengers of Delta Flight 1730 (LAX to ATL) who assisted in detaining an unruly passenger as the flight diverted to Oklahoma City (OKC). The aircraft landed without incident and the passenger was removed by law enforcement. We apologize to our customers for the delay and any additional inconvenience this caused.
The passenger who sparked the incident had been involved in an earlier fight on the plane, but it’s not whom that was with or what it was over. Law enforcement removed the man in Oklahoma City.
#BREAKING: After a man, who was trying to open door while in flight, was forcibly subdued by flight attendants and other passengers, @Delta says #1730 from #LAX to #Atlanta was diverted to #OKC, "landed safely without further incident…where it was met by law enforcement." pic.twitter.com/rdPXkr6X3n
— Robert Kovacik (@RobertNBCLA) June 12, 2021
The flight eventually made it to Atlanta three hours late, at four o’clock in the morning.
WTF is going on with flights out of LAX? This is like the 3rd diversion due to unruly passengers this week (I think). Doesn’t seem to have anything to do with booze though.
Look at the tool in the 2nd video trying to video the whole thing instead of help.
Sources telling me this was an f/a non-rev…….absolutely shocked….no, not realky. Him knowing how to use the PA backs this up, no it not rocket surgery to use it but its not simply picking up the handset and talking.
When they can’t hide it anymore, watch for the bullshit press release about…….one of their team members….medical emergency….we need to invest more in mental illness…..racism…….Trump. – In that order by the way.
Keep Climbing®
But what race was the offender? Need it so we can craft a narrative.
It was the black guy who pulled him from the door.
He was the final extra man that finished the job.
Scary, very scary.
Does this kind of crap go on in other countries or is it just us I wonder.
I expected Gary to say this, but…… Where were the FAMs?
@Brian. The vast majority of flights do not have FAMs aboard. Some flight attendants go our entire careers without having a single FAM on our flights.