An American Airlines plane made an emergency landing in North Carolina on Wednesday after a “rebellious” woman who was in first class angrily tried to enter the cabin because they hadn’t served her a drink.
American Eagle Flight 3444 from Jacksonville, Fla. to Washington DC was diverted to Raleigh-Durham International Airport at approximately 3:40 p.m. due to safety concerns from a reluctant customer, the airline said in a statement.
The woman, identified as Tiffany Miles, 36, was arrested and charged with misdemeanor and released on bail. the Raleigh/Wake City County Identification Office said in statements cited by CNN.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) the woman stormed the cabin door, so the crew and some passengers then tried to hold her down, added the aforementioned medium.
A passenger named Kara Rosario confirmed to ABC 11 that Miles was angry that her drink wasn’t served, adding that another passenger stood up to help flight attendants when they tried to calm the woman down.
“He heard the commotion and went into first grade to help and see if there was anything he could help with,” Rosario said. “He wasn’t a sheriff or a cop, just a citizen trying to defuse the situation. You could feel we were in it together and ready to do whatever it took, but the gentleman behind me got up first and took matters into his own hands.”
In addition, the FBI field police in Charlotte responded to the incident that occurred, it remains to be seen whether federal charges will be filed against the woman.
“The FBI is currently conducting fact-gathering interviews and will be consulting with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina to determine whether federal indictments will be filed,” said FBI spokeswoman Shelley Lynch.
For his part, United States Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said on his Twitter account that he had been notified of what the FAA says was a “Level 4 disruption” to the flight “attempted or actual flight deck violation”.
The FAA said it is working on a rule that would require new planes to have a second cockpit barrier.
“Last year we made progress to require new aircraft to have a second flight deck barrier after the rule stalled under the previous government. We are working quickly to issue the final rule,” the agency said in a statement.
With information from the New York Post
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