American Airlines passenger arrested for entering cockpit, damaging plane

A passenger on board an American Airlines flight from Honduras to Miami entered the cockpit during boarding and damaged the plane. 

The cockpit door was open before the incident at the international airport in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. The passenger, who has not been identified, entered the cockpit and “caused damage to the aircraft.” He damaged the plane’s controls and also tried to climb out of the cockpit’s open window before the staff intervened and handed the passenger over to the authorities. 

“Crew members intervened and the individual was ultimately apprehended by local law enforcement,” an American Airlines spokesperson said, Associated Press reported. 

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Security Secretary spokesman Edgardo Barahona told the agency that the passenger was released by Honduran authorities the following day. 

“He was freed because the airline did not press charges. The aggression toward the pilot and the crew of the airline was not serious,” Barahona said. 

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He added that after the man was removed from the plane and turned over to the National Police, he was taken to a hospital for a series of tests.

“He was taken to an assistance center because according to other passengers he was acting strangely as if under the effects of some type of hallucinogen,” Barahona said.

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The man was from the coastal city of La Ceiba and had no prior criminal history.

Meanwhile, the flight, which had 121 passengers and six crew members, was scheduled to depart on Tuesday afternoon. However, it was delayed for several hours until a replacement plane could be arranged. It finally arrived in Florida early Wednesday, about eight hours behind scheduled arrival. 

With inputs from the Associated Press