‘He’s trying to get in the cockpit’: Listen as passenger forces flight to divert to KC
An unruly passenger tried to force his way into the cockpit of a flight heading cross country Sunday, according to exchanges between the pilot and air traffic controllers captured by LiveATC.net.
American Airlines Flight 1775 left Los Angeles International Airport about 11:15 a.m. Kansas City time headed for Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, but while over Kansas, a male passenger became combative.
“Yeah, he’s trying to get in the cockpit,” the pilot told air traffic controllers while requesting permission to divert to Kansas City International Airport.
The exchange between the pilots and air traffic controller lasts on and off over five minutes before the air traffic controller passes off the pilots to air traffic controllers at KCI.
About three and half minutes after requesting permission to head to Kansas City, the pilot advises air traffic controller that four passengers were trying to contain the unruly passenger. About a minute later, the pilot advised that there are two armed people on board who were securing the passengers, according to the audio.
A passenger aboard the flight tweeted video and said that passengers held the combative passenger down and a flight attendant used a coffee pot to subdue him.
Law enforcement officers met the plane when it landed safely about 2:28 p.m. at KCI and took the man into custody, according the FBI in Kansas City.
Audio of the exchange between the pilots and the air traffic controller gives insight into what was occurring aboard the plane.
In the audio, the pilots are talking to the Kansas City Air Route Traffic Control Center (Kansas City Center), one of 22 Federal Aviation Administration area control centers.
“We’re grateful to our crew members, who are consistently dedicated to the safety and care of our customers and who handled the circumstances with the utmost skill and professionalism,” American Airlines said in a statement.
Here’s the transcript of the conversation between pilots and air traffic control:
Kansas City Center: “1775, Center.”
Pilot: “The air tower off to our left is Kansas City, correct?”
Kansas City Center: “The one off to your left?”
Pilot: “OK, we have a passenger that’s being combative. We need to go direct to Kansas City.”
Kansas City Center: “American 1775, Roger stand by.”
Pilot: “Center, American 1775.”
Kansas City Center: “American 1775. Go ahead.”
Pilot: Unintelligible . . . “to Kansas City.”
Kansas City Center: “American 1775 cleared for direct to Kansas City International Airport via left turn direct, descend and maintain flight level 240.”
Pilot: “Left turn 240 for American 1775.”
Kansas City Center: “1775 what level is your (unintelligible), is the cockpit secure, and male or female?”
Pilot: “Cockpit is secure and it’s a white male.”
Kansas City Center: “1775 and what level is the (unintelligible).”
Pilot: “Standby.”
Pilot: “American 1775.”
Kansas City Center: “Go Ahead.”
Pilot: “Yeah he’s trying to get in.”
Pilot: “Yeah, he’s trying to get in the cockpit, American 1775.”
Kansas City Center: “American 1775, Roger, we’ll let them know.”
Pilot: “American 1775, it’s a Level 4.”
Kansas City Center: “American 1775 roger, the information is being relayed to Kansas City as well.”
Pilot: “We’ve got four passengers now trying to contain this gentleman, American 1775.”
Kansas City Center: “American 1775, roger thanks.”
Pilot: “If we could get vectors, that would be great”
Kansas City Center: “1775, fly heading 330, vector to Kansas City.”
Pilot: “330, American 1775.”
Pilot: “If we could get lower, get down, that would be great.”
Kansas City Center: “American 1775, Descend and maintain 180, flight level 180.”
Pilot: “180. American 1775.”
Pilot: “American 1775.”
Kansas City Center: “American 1775, descend and maintain 16. 16,000. Kansas City altimeter 3036.”
Pilot: “16,000. We have two armed people on board that are securing him right now.”
Kansas City Center: “American 1775, roger thanks.”
Kansas City Center: “American 1775, you ready for a frequency change.”
Pilot: “Yeah, go ahead.”
Kansas City Center: “Contact Kansas City approach, 123.95, 23.95.”
Pilot: “23.95, American 1775.”
This story was originally published February 14, 2022 at 11:18 AM.
