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Home » American Airlines » American Airlines Passenger Damages Cockpit, Tries To Jump Out Window
American Airlines

American Airlines Passenger Damages Cockpit, Tries To Jump Out Window

Matthew Klint Posted onJanuary 12, 2022November 14, 2023 13 Comments

a man standing in front of a plane

Instead of turning right when entering the aircraft and taking his seat, a man turned left, entered the cockpit, broke flight controls, and then tried to jump out of the window. The result was a damaged American Airlines 737-800, delayed flight, and many unanswered questions.

Man Damages Cockpit On American Airlines Flight, Tries To Jump Out Window

Several readers sent me this story last night and I held off on writing, hoping we would learn more about what occurred onboard overnight.  The incident took place at Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport in San Pedro Sula, Honduras (SAP) onboard American Airlines flight 488 bound for Miami.

The passenger apparently ran down the jet bridge and directly into the cockpit once onboard. Typically, the flight deck door is left open until after boarding is complete and the aircraft door has been shut.

Inside the cockpit, he damaged some flight controls, including breaking the throttle.

pic.twitter.com/IAYDSJbpab

— Ariel Sierra (@ArielSierra) January 12, 2022

He then tried to jump out of the cockpit window (which do open and are large enough for egress), but was restrained. He was arrested.

There’s video.

pic.twitter.com/UwKI2TCyU7

— Ariel Sierra (@ArielSierra) January 12, 2022

Many questions remain:

  • What prompted this man to act?
  • Was he carrying any weapons?
  • Why stop him from jumping out?

As for the last question, the picture below is of an American 737-800 parked on the ground at San Pedro Sula that I took during a trip there. While he may have been stopped to prevent him from hurting himself, this is the sort of airport where you can actually climb the fence and escape.

an airplane on the tarmac

American Airlines sent a replacement aircraft and crew from Miami to San Pedro Sula to pick up the stranded passengers and the flight ended up arriving in Miami about eight hours late.

CONCLUSION

What a strange incident onboard. A man damaged an American Airlines 737-800 after charging the cockpit and damaging flight controls, including the throttle. He then tried to jump out, but was restrained. Whatever his motives were, the damaged 737 remains on the ground in SAP this morning. The man’s fate isn’t clear.

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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13 Comments

  1. Jan Reply
    January 12, 2022 at 10:39 am

    This is not a strange incident. This is standard operating procedure regarding AA in Miami.

    • Stuart Reply
      January 12, 2022 at 10:50 am

      Other than it happened in San Pedro Sula.

      • Jan Reply
        January 12, 2022 at 11:41 am

        Bound for Miami. Even if in a different location shenanigans are linked to AA in Miami

  2. Santastico Reply
    January 12, 2022 at 10:46 am

    When I saw San Pedro Sula and Miami together on the same article I didn’t need to keep reading.

  3. Dave Edwards Reply
    January 12, 2022 at 11:15 am

    Assuming he was inside the boarding area, then ran down the jetway onto the plane. So wouldn’t it have been impossible to have weapons?

    In any case he seems mentally unstable and should be locked away for years in prison or a facility.

    • Santastico Reply
      January 12, 2022 at 11:23 am

      “So wouldn’t it have been impossible to have weapons?”LOL!!!!! Have you ever been to San Pedro Sula? Who do think run their TSA check point there? FBI agents? It is called Latin America so the words “never”and “impossible” don’t apply there. BTW, before anyone starts to complain about my post, I am Latino so I know exactly what I am saying.

      • Dave Edwards Reply
        January 12, 2022 at 11:33 am

        I am thinking of America, where it’s next to impossible. You are correct, I wasn’t thinking of how it works in these Banana Republics. And no, I haven’t been nor will I be visiting these ‘holes anytime soon.

      • Jerry Reply
        January 12, 2022 at 12:34 pm

        I’m not Latino, but I’ve spent plenty of time in Honduras. Airports in Honduras seem to be a lot more strict about what you can bring past security than what I’ve found in the States. And even putting stereotypes about Latin America aside, the TSA doesn’t exactly have a great track record of finding weapons, so I’m not sure SAP is any different than MSP.

      • Duane Pisacreta Reply
        January 12, 2022 at 3:21 pm

        your comments Santastico are spot on! I’ve been living in Cubazuela (otherwise known as Venezuela) for over 14 years now. NOTHING surprises or amazes me anymore.

  4. Cy Reply
    January 12, 2022 at 11:50 am

    Matthew, in these times of flight cancellations and bizaare delays…do you know if your flight to the US is delayed past midnight do you have to retake your covid test to be back in the “1 day before you travel” window?

    • Kyle Stewart Reply
      January 12, 2022 at 12:05 pm

      @Cy – I can answer that piece as I checked into it myself. The CDC has said it’s not “24 hours” but rather one calendar day. The reason is because of potential delays. For example, if you fly at 11:59 pm on January 31st, as long as your result is dated by January 30th, you’d be fine (even if it is dated 12:01 AM on January 30th.

      “The 1-day period is 1 day before the flight’s departure. The Order uses a 1-day time frame instead of 24 hours to provide more flexibility to the air passenger and aircraft operator. By using a 1-day window, test acceptability does not depend on the time of the flight or the time of day that the test sample was taken.

      For example, if your flight is at 1pm on a Friday, you could board with a negative test that was taken any time on the prior Thursday”

      That doesn’t necessarily answer your question though, as if you were to get tested the day prior and then your trip is delayed to the extent it crosses into a new calendar day, on paper you’re out of compliance. Good news there, the CDC states this:
      “If the first flight in your trip is delayed past the 1-day limit of testing due to a situation outside of your control (e.g., delays because of severe weather or aircraft mechanical problem), and that delay is 24 hours or less past the 1-day limit for testing, you do not need to be retested. If the delay is more than 24 hours past the 1- day limit, then you will need to be retested.

      If a connecting flight in your trip is delayed past the 1-day limit of testing due to a situation outside of your control (e.g., delays because of severe weather or aircraft mechanical problem), and that delay is less than 48 hours past the 1-day limit for testing, you do not need to be retested. If the delay is more than 48 hours past the 1-day limit, then you will need to be retested.”

      So you should be good so long as it’s not more than a 24-hour delay. Here’s the link for reference: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html

      • cy Reply
        January 12, 2022 at 5:49 pm

        @Kyle- thanks, very helpful.

  5. GT Traveller Reply
    January 12, 2022 at 3:57 pm

    You should post about a guy who flew from Guatemala to Miami a couple of weeks ago literally hidden inside the landing gear and made it!

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