Passenger Freaks Out During Flight

March 15, 2010

in Passenger Stories

I’m surprised this one never showed up on the news! On February 22, 2010, on United Flight 651 from Chicago’s O’Hare Airport en route to San Diego, the flight was diverted to Las Vegas. Why? Because of one passenger displaying unique symptoms of mental distress that included screaming at the top of her lungs for hours, spitting on fellow passengers, cussing creatively and a host of other manifestations of belligerence. Two strong muscular FBI agents and a hefty male flight attendant had difficulty restraining her, so it is possible drugs were involved. Passengers in the area noted that she had consumed 3 bottles of wine on the plane (from the bottle not the glass), and that she had seemed agitated (but not suspiciously so) prior to boarding.

Her in-flight antics included threatening the purser, running for the exit doors, and it appears partially stripping. By the time she was escorted from the plane (after Las Vegas police boarded) she was handcuffed, had a pillow case over her head, and was not wearing her pants. She was stringing together expletives with creativity to which I’d never before been exposed. AND she proceed to scream for at least 20 more minutes while writhing on the floor outside the plane in the ramp attached to the door until it appears she was sedated. Not certain whether she was taken to jail or a mental hospital, but I do hope she got some help.

Needless to say, after we continued our flight and landed several hours later in San Diego, the passengers applauded the flight crew.

{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }

Kad March 16, 2010 at 1:34 pm

Have you seen how small those wine 'bottles' are? They are really only a drink in a bottle shaped glass, so if she consumed three and was as out of control as you say, then yeah, there was likely something else drug-related going on (taking something, or not taking required meds).

You know what would scare me if I were on a flight flying the free U.S. skies where this happened, is the thought that somewhere out of passenger sight, behind the airplane, would be two National Guard F15's or F16s, ready to shoot down the passenger plane if the crazy lady is a distraction for something more….

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Matt March 17, 2010 at 10:18 am

Is it just me or do an inordinate number of postings on this site come from flights either arriving in or departing from San Diego? Given that San Diego does not have a one of the largest airports in the county, is America's finest city a mecca for unlucky and unruly passengers?

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