A woman passenger aboard the American Airlines flight AA950 was physically restrained and knocked to ground when she allegedly tried to enter the cockpit. The incident took place prior to departure from São Paulo, Brazil on April 24, Thursday night, media reports said. The video has gone viral on the internet, garnering millions of views.
It further caused a two-hour delay in the reaching the destination.
What does the video show?
The video features a woman passenger who confronts flight crew near the open cockpit door, shouting and resisting efforts to calm her. Shortly afterward, she is apparently being knocked to the floor, restrained, and escorted back to her seat. She was reportedly angered by a delayed departure and flight attendants removed her from the aircraft along with another unruly passenger.
The woman’s frustration started after she left her seat during taxiing and asked crew members about the flight delay, Aeroin report said. According to witnesses, she became provocative and verbally aggressive, directing profanities at a flight crew member. As a pilot came out from the cockpit, the woman went to the open door, leading a flight attendant to step in physically.
According to reports, the phone footage shows the woman shouting in Portuguese and English, warning a crew member and saying, “I’ll kick you in the balls,” prior to being forced to the ground. A male passenger then stood up and started yelling at crew members, which led to more chaos at the scene. Cabin crew members promptly took an action de-escalate the confrontation and made the aircraft its way back to the boarding gate.
American Airlines’ statement
The airline said the flight returned to the gate before taking off due to “a security issue onboard”. “The safety and security of our customers and team members is our top priority and we thank our customers for their understanding,” Simple Flying quoted American Airlines’ statement as saying.
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