Unfortunately, passengers on Southwest Flight 192 did not get to their destination on time after a fellow passenger decided to be uncooperative. According to a statement by the Federal Aviation Administration, the flight landed at the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport at 3:35 pm local time after the flight crew declared an emergency because a passenger was causing a disturbance.
A statement from Southwest Airlines said that the flight diverted to the airport after the crew observed one of the passengers engaged in “unruly” behavior mid-flight. The unruly passenger, a woman, had assaulted another person on the flight.
After the emergency landing, an FBI liaison agent for the Little Rock airport, the Transportation Security Administration, and local police officers went to the plane. They removed the passenger from the plane and arrested her. According to the statement by the airline, she is likely to face federal charges.
Conor Hagan, FBI Little Rock’s Public Affairs Officer, confirmed the incident, saying the federal agency was investigating it and one person was in custody. She said the agency worked closely with the Little Rock Police Department, the airport, and Southwest Airlines.
According to Hagan, the FBI is authorized to investigate violations regarding potential assaults aboard aircraft. The FBI will also work closely with the Arkansas District Attorney’s Office to investigate the incident and potentially charge the woman.
Authorities have not yet confirmed the woman’s identity nor revealed what transpired on the airplane. The FBI did not provide further details or mention the charges the woman might face.
After a short delay at the Little Rock Airport, the flight resumed its regular flight and landed safely at the John Glenn Columbus International Airport.
Since the COVID pandemic, airlines have been increasingly dealing with disruptive and badly behaved passengers, with 2021 being the worst year. The Federal Aviation Administration received nearly 6,000 reports of “unruly” passengers.
Delta Airlines even tried to push other airlines to create a national “no-fly” list of all unruly passengers to help curb incidents of disruptive behavior.
The FAA has received over 2,000 reports of disruptive passengers this year and initiated over 750 investigations and 517 enforcement action cases.