‘Unruly’ passenger refusing to wear mask forces flight to land in Kansas, police say
Passengers on a flight headed from Alabama to Colorado were taken for a surprise detour on Sunday, March 13, after a passenger’s behavior forced a pilot to land the plane after only two hours in the air, police said.
Flight 5303 left Huntsville, Alabama, on time Sunday morning and was expected to land in Denver, Colorado, that day, according to Flight Aware.
But after authorities said a passenger became unruly on the SkyWest Airlines flight, the pilot diverted the flight and landed in Kansas’ Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport after only two hours in the air.
Airport police said the passenger was refusing to wear a mask and using profanity. She was in the “process of ordering alcohol” when the profanity started, Roger Xanders, chief of airport police and fire at the Wichita airport, told McClatchy News.
Xanders said when the aircraft landed, officers went on the airplane and escorted the “unruly” passenger “without incident.”
The passenger was not arrested, he said.
”When we were on the tarmac the doors opened and the security airport police came in and they were in full gear, masked, ready for the defense. They stormed to the back, removed the woman, and escorted her off of the plane,” passenger Zara Lowry told WAFF.
After the woman left, the flight continued on and landed in Colorado later that day, according to Flight Aware.
Airport police made a report to the FBI, which “will do their part of the investigation” since the incident occurred in the air, Xanders said.
SkyWest Airlines banned the passenger from future flights, according to Xanders. If the passenger wants to fly home out of Wichita, she will have to comply with federal mask mandates on public transportation, airport police said.
This story was originally published March 14, 2022 at 2:13 PM with the headline "‘Unruly’ passenger refusing to wear mask forces flight to land in Kansas, police say."
