United Flight 1551 Diverts After Passenger Tries to Open Door at 36,000 Feet
Updated
Updated · The Daily Beast · May 22
United Flight 1551 Diverts After Passenger Tries to Open Door at 36,000 Feet
17 articles · Updated · The Daily Beast · May 22
A United Boeing 737 MAX flying from Newark to Guatemala City made an emergency landing at Washington Dulles after a passenger tried to open a door mid-flight and then fought with another traveler.
Audio with air traffic control captured the pilot reporting the attempted door opening and assault; law enforcement removed the passenger after the plane landed safely.
The six-year-old aircraft's flight was canceled, and United scheduled a replacement for Friday morning while providing overnight accommodation to passengers.
Flight 1551 was carrying 145 passengers and six crew, and the incident was the second unruly-passenger episode on a United flight this month after another traveler tried to enter a cockpit near landing at Newark.
As mid-air outbursts continue, what is the hidden link between travel stress and passenger violence?
A passenger tried opening a plane door. Are airlines doing enough to stop the rise in air rage?
Plane doors can't open mid-flight, so why do passengers keep trying and what does it reveal?