A man makes two pilots turn around over his attempts at smoking

Jul 5, 2013 12:46 GMT  ·  By

A passenger has diverted two flights over his attempts at smoking. Both flights have incurred diversions over a 12-hour time frame.

The man, who remained unidentified, was flying from Albuquerque to Chicago and had two planes turned around. According to eCanadaNow, he first boarded an American Eagle, a subsidiary of American Airlines.

He told staff that he wanted to get out "for a smoke" and made his way to the exit door in the back.

He tried the stunt numerous times and had to be restrained. The pilot made an emergency landing at Kansas City.

“This guy was trying to jump out the door, he was trying to get to the exit. We don’t know if he was high, or just intoxicated. He actually leaped over some people, trying to get to the door. He was just trying to light up a cigarette and just being totally disruptive,” noted Kevin Mugan, who was on the American Airlines flight.

The man only remained in his seat because federal agents stood by his side until it was time for landing. He was let go and no charges were made.

“It was just really scary, and we just wanted him off the flight,” passenger Karen Fuller remembers of her experience on the plane.

He then tried to take a second flight out of Las Vegas the next day, but cause another disruption.

He tried smoking in the cabin on the US Airways plane and had to be stopped once more. The flight was rerouted to Albuquerque.

“We talked about it and decided we’d take the guy down if that’s what we had to do. [...] I think there was about 4-5 other passengers behind us, so if he got by us, he’d have to go through them, too,” Mugan recalls.