A student pilot tried to open the door of an Alaska Airlines cockpit multiple times while the plane was in the air, according to court documents.
The flight was traveling from California to Virginia on March 3, according to an affidavit filed by federal air marshal Thomas G. Pattinson.
Pattinson said that the passenger was seated in the plane’s seat 6E but left his seat multiple times. He made three separate attempts to go to the front of the plane and open the cockpit door, Pattinson said.
The Alaska Airlines flight #AS310 was operated by a Boeing 737 MAX 9 (registration N964AK) from LAX to IAD. It cruised at 35,000 ft for 4 hours and 55 minutes flight time.
Flight attendants eventually requested help from off-duty law enforcement officers, who “restrained him in flex cuffs and sat on either side of him for the remainder of the flight,” according to the affidavit.
To prevent further disturbances, the flight deck was “locked down for the remainder of the flight,” and the flight attendants used a beverage cart as a barrier to block entrance to the cockpit.
The man told the flight attendants that he was “testing them,” according to the affidavit. When the aircraft landed at Dulles International Airport in Virginia, he allowed law enforcement to search his luggage, where agents found “multiple notebooks with writings describing how to operate an aircraft, including take-off, in-air, and landing techniques,” according to the affidavit.
His wallet also contained a student pilot’s license, the affidavit said.
The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the flight landed safely at around 3:30 local time after a the crew “reported a passenger disturbance.” The incident is under investigation, the FAA said.
The passenger was arrested and charged with interference with flight crew members. The maximum penalty for the charge is 20 years in prison.
