American Airlines flight pulls U-turn after passenger tries opening exit door

An American Airlines flight from Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Chicago, had to turn around Tuesday after a passenger tried opening a side door.

American Airlines Flight 1219 left Albuquerque International Sunport for Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport at 1:40 p.m., according to tracking website FlightAware.

Half an hour into the flight, the passenger, unnamed by authorities, tried to open the emergency exit door.

“He was sitting at the emergency exit, and he cracked open the window that was protecting the handle. He ripped down the handle where it exposed some of the emergency exit, and all the wind came rushing down,” passenger Emma Ritz told Albuquerque ABC affiliate KOAT-TV.

A group of passengers aided flight attendants in restraining the man.

“Me and five other dudes had to wrestle him into the aisle, duct-tape his legs and throw flex cuffs on him,” Zach Etkind, a Barstool Sports employee who was on the flight, posted in an X post along with a picture of the scrum.

The exit-fiddling man was desperate to get off the plane.

“The guy was screaming, ’I want to get out’ when he was restrained,” Ms. Ritz said.

Fellow passenger Blaze Ward, one of those who helped restrain the man, told the TV station, “He didn’t bite, he didn’t kick, he didn’t elbow, but he was definitely continuing to try [to open the door] until we forced him off the lever.”

Mr. Etkind told Fox News. “Once we got him off the door, he was not fighting back too aggressively.”

The plane then turned around and went back to Albuquerque, landing at 2:40 p.m., per the Federal Aviation Administration. The plane was met by local police, an American Airlines spokesperson told USA Today.

In addition to the FAA, the FBI is involved.

“The Albuquerque Division of the FBI is aware of the incident, and we are currently investigating,” the agency’s Albuquerque office said in a statement to Fox News.