Alaska Airlines Passenger Charged After Attempting To Open Door Mid-Flight

An Alaska Airlines passenger has been charged after attempting to open an aircraft emergency exit mid-flight, forcing other travelers to intervene and restrain him. The incident occurred on a domestic flight from Deadhorse to Anchorage on one of the airline’s Boeing 737-900 aircraft.

The individual had apparently been acting erratically for the entire flight, shouting, “We’re all going to die” at one point. Alaska has since released a statement confirming it has banned the passenger from flying with the airline.

Unstable Alaska Passenger Tries To Open Door Mid-Flight

Credit: Shutterstock

As reported by The Independent, Wasilla resident Kassian William Fredericks, 36, has been federally charged with one count of interfering with the flight crew after the incident earlier this month. It happened onboard Alaska Flight 87 from Deadhorse (SCC) to Anchorage International Airport (ANC) on the evening of December 10. According to an FBI affidavit, a passenger who had just exited the lavatory reported that Fredericks was “aggressively trying to open the rear cabin door.”

This witness saw that the door arm had been moved and attempted to stop Fredericks, calling for aid from fellow passengers onboard. The unruly passenger was reportedly “so strong” that it took the combined power of three male passengers to restrain him, pinning Fredericks to his seat until the flight could land safely. Although it would not have been possible for Fredericks to open the door while at altitude due to pressurization forces, flight attendants were concerned that tampering with the exit could have set off its emergency slide, which would have been a serious safety threat to everyone onboard.

Alaska Airlines released a statement on the incident,

“The passenger was intercepted and restrained until the aircraft landed safely in Anchorage, where it was met by law enforcement and EMTs. The passenger who caused the incident has been banned from flying with us. We thank our crew for their professionalism in handling this situation, and we apologize to our guests for any concern this incident caused.”

Disturbing Behavior All Flight

Credit: Alaska Airlines

Before he attempted to open the emergency exit, Fredericks had displayed highly erratic behavior that had caught the attention of the flight crew and fellow passengers. While in his seat, he repeatedly said, “Stop the plane, stop the plane,” before claiming that “invisible” people were attempting to take control of the aircraft.

Fredericks was observed taking a pill, which made his behavior even worse. He proclaimed that meth was “coming out of the air vents” and that the aircraft’s wings were disappearing, prompting a flight attendant to call the pilot in the cockpit. A decision was made to keep a close eye on the passenger, who was also refused alcoholic beverage service before moving to the rear of the plane.

After attempting to force the rear cabin door open, the pilots received a warning in the cockpit. Fredericks was forced back into his seat, where flight attendants debated whether to zip-tie him. They ultimately decided not to, as it could further aggravate Fredericks, who was held in his seat by fellow passengers.

Related

Shocking Times Passengers Have Tried To Open A Plane Door Midflight

Several incidents of this nature have occurred in recent years.

How Serious Is Attempting To Open An Aircraft Door?

Credit: Shutterstock

The federal charge of interference with a flight crew comes with a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. While it is well-known that aircraft doors can’t realistically be opened at high altitude due to the powerful forces exerted on them, it is still a safety threat to tamper with a cabin door.

As the flight attendants onboard Alaska Flight 87 correctly identified, exits are armed with emergency slides designed to automatically deploy in the event of an emergency. If this slide had been deployed mid-flight, the consequences to the aircraft and those onboard could have been catastrophic.

There have been several high-profile incidents similar to this in recent years, typically involving mentally unstable perpetrators. In one case in South Korea, a passenger actually succeeded in opening an emergency exit mid-flight, as the aircraft was at a lower altitude during its final approach, where pressurization forces are not as strong.