NewsNational

Actions

'Unruly passenger' soils multiple bathrooms on United flight, forces plane to land

'Unruly passenger' soils multiple bathrooms on United flight, forces plane to land
Posted at 4:26 PM, Jan 05, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-05 17:26:23-05

An international United Airlines flight was diverted and forced to land Thursday night after a passenger reportedly smeared feces on the walls of multiple airplane bathrooms.

According to KTVA-TV, United flight 895, bound for Hong Kong from Chicago, was forced to make an unscheduled landing in Anchorage, Alaska due to the unruly passenger.

Airport police reported that the passenger, an adult male, had been smearing his own feces on the walls of the bathroom with his shirt. He also tried to flush the shirt down one of the plane's toilets.

 

One passenger also reported the man was also "shaking seats" and "pouring soda and spitting food all over."

Airport police did not file charges against the passenger. He was taken to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.

In a statement, United told the Washington Post that the flight was diverted due to "a disruptive passenger." The flight was grounded overnight for "maintenance." Passengers on the plane were put up in hotels, and the airline said it was working to get them to their final destination. 

Alex Hider is a writer for the E.W. Scripps National Desk. Follow him on Twitter @alexhider.