Flight Forced to Make Emergency Landing After Passenger Punches Flight Attendant in the Face

When we board an airplane, our goal is to make it to our destination safely. While we’re not exactly scared of heights or airplanes, we do realize that other problems can arise. For example, our luggage might get lost, or our plane might be delayed.

We’re sure flight attendants also hope to make it to their destination safely. Since flying is their job, it’s pretty safe to assume that they are not afraid of airplanes, but due to some recent events, they might be a little bit worried about encounters with the passengers on board the airplanes.

There have been 1000s of incidents recently in which passengers on board airplanes have become unruly. Often, the incident occurs because the passenger refuses to wear a face mask which is required in airports and on airplanes. Sometimes the passengers get angry and loud, but other times they do physical harm.

On a recent American Airlines flight from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, one passenger did something so severe that the plane had to make an emergency landing at the Denver International Airport. He punched a flight attendant in the nose. Watch the video below to find out more.

According to Paul Hartshorn Jr., who is with the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, the flight attendant bumped a passenger who was in a cabin that was not the cabin where she was working. Then she “walked into one of the flight galleys and this passenger approached her and punched her in the face at least twice.” He added that “she sustained broken bones in her nose and her face.”

According to a passenger on board the plane, there was a doctor on board the airplane who looked at the flight attendant’s nose. There was a lot of blood, but he said her nose wasn’t broken.

After landing at the Denver International Airport, the flight attendant was taken to a hospital in Denver where she received treatment for broken bones.

In a statement, American Airlines explained, “We have engaged local law enforcement and the FBI and we are working with them to ensure they have all the information they need.” The statement continued, “This behavior must stop and aggressive enforcement and prosecution of the law is the best deterent.”

Hastshorn agrees that aggressive behavior cannot be tolerated on an airplane. He said, “We need passengers to feel safe on board an aircraft.” He explained that passengers need to know “they’re not going to be attacked or witness an attack that puts the airplane in jeopardy at 35,000 feet.”