A United Airlines flight turned back and made an emergency
landing, escorted by fighter jets, after a fight broke out on
board over a reclined seat.
US government and airline officials said the United Airlines
plane with 144 people aboard returned to Washington-Dulles
International Airport for an emergency landing escorted by
two F-16 fighter jets after the fight broke out between
passengers.
Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Laura Brown said
Flight 990 bound for Accra, Ghana, returned to Dulles in
Chantilly, Virginia, just after midnight on Sunday (local
time) after a fist fight in the cabin.
Government officials confirmed that fighter jets were
scrambled from Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.
United spokesman Mike Trevino said the Boeing 767 dumped fuel
as a safety precaution to lighten its weight on landing.
The Washington Post, which first reported the incident, said
that the fight began not long after take-off when a passenger
reclined his seat and a passenger behind him objected.
The newspaper reported that the offending seat was lowered
soon after the overnight flight took off. Sources said that a
flight attendant and another passenger tried to separate the
fighting pair.
Cockpit audio reveals the passenger who sparked the fight was
not "secured" by the crew, but had "settled down" before the
flight touched down.
Upon landing, the plane was met by officers from the Dulles
police force at the airport. They determined that the
incident did not warrant charges.
As no charges were laid, the names of the passengers involved
have not been disclosed.
A name, residential address, and (preferably residential) telephone number is required from readers who comment on ODT Online. These details will not be visible to site visitors.