An unruly passenger forced a Zurich-bound flight to return to Newark, New Jersey, airport shortly after moving freely around the cabin, was abusive to the crew and attempted to enter the cockpit, officials said.
Swiss International Air Lines Flight 19 took off from Newark Liberty International Airport at 9:50 p.m. Sunday, but the pilot quickly reported that one of the 233 passengers was causing a ruckus, NJ.com reported.
The pilot of the Airbus A330 said: “PAN-PAN, PAN-PAN, PAN-PAN”, an aeronautical acronym meaning “possible assistance required”.
He told the air traffic controller that the passenger’s condition was “getting worse” and “tried to enter the cockpit,” according to a recording of the call obtained from LiveATC.net.
“We were unable to detain the passenger. It moves freely in the cabin,” he said.
An airline spokesperson said one of the crew members was injured in the incident and taken to a local hospital, Swiss Info reported.
“The passenger behaved in an abusive manner towards the crew,” Swiss International Airlines told NJ.com in a statement, adding that the flight was canceled and the passengers would be rebooked.
The passenger, whose identity has not been released, was encountered by police in Newark.
Information about possible charges was not immediately available from Port Authority police. The exact nature of the disruption was also not available.
The pilot told the controller that the plane’s brakes had overheated following the overweight landing and asked firefighters to inspect the landing gear.
New York Post
