A flight was diverted to Seattle after a passenger allegedly attempted to open exit doors midflight, according to Port of Seattle Police.
The All Nippon Airways flight was traveling from Japan’s Haneda Airport in Tokyo to George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston on Saturday when a passenger became “unruly,” according to the airline, which did not provide any details. Online records show that Flight 114 departed from Tokyo at around 10:33 a.m. local time.
The flight was diverted to Seattle as a result, and landed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport at around 4:19 a.m. PT, police said. The Federal Aviation Administration said the flight was diverted “due to a passenger disturbance,” but did not provide any additional details. The flight was almost 10 hours into its journey when it landed in Seattle, according to FlightAware.com.
“Port of Seattle Police were called due to reports of a passenger who attempted to open exit doors during the flight,” police said. “The report stated that passengers and flight crew had restrained the individual.”
The person, who was not identified, was evaluated and it was determined they were “having a medical crisis,” police said. They were later taken to a local hospital.
A second person was also removed from the flight for “unruly behavior” while on the tarmac before the plane departed from Seattle to Houston, according to police and All Nippon Airways. Officials did not clarify what the individual did that was unruly, but said that it was not related to the passenger who had a medical crisis.
The second person, who was also not identified, was removed from the flight and it continued to Houston “without incident,” according to the airline. The flight left Seattle at around 7 a.m. PT and landed in Houston at 12:42 p.m. CT, according to FlightAware.com.
“The safety of our passengers and crew are our top priority and we applaud the efforts of local law enforcement for their support,” the airline said.
