A United Airlines flight bound for Minneapolis was forced to make an emergency landing after a passenger allegedly tried to force his way into the cockpit mid-flight.
The terrifying incident happened Friday, May 29, aboard United Airlines flight UA2005, which had taken off from Chicago O’Hare International Airport at around 8 p.m. local time.
The flight was supposed to be a routine trip to Minneapolis, but it was diverted to Dane County Regional Airport in Madison, Wisconsin, after what United described as an “unruly passenger.”
According to reports from WMTV, WTVM and Metro, an unidentified male passenger was allegedly “ranting in Russian” before trying to get into the cockpit.
A struggle reportedly broke out on the plane as crew members and others worked to stop the passenger.
The pilot allegedly used squawk code 7500 during the incident, according to Metro. That code is used by pilots to discreetly alert air traffic control to a possible hijacking situation.
FlightRadar24 explains that squawk code 7500 lets pilots contact air traffic control without openly announcing the emergency inside the aircraft. In many cases, security forces may become involved, and authorities can be waiting when the plane lands.
The Dane County Sheriff’s Office removed the passenger from the aircraft after the plane landed in Madison. He was taken into custody, according to WTVM.
United Airlines said 147 passengers and six crew members were on board at the time.
Thankfully, no injuries were reported.
Federal authorities are now investigating the incident, according to WMTV.
Dane County Regional Airport continued normal operations after the passenger was arrested.
