Plane Makes Emergency Landing After Pilot Mistakes Knock on Cockpit Door for a Break-In Attempt 36-Minutes Into Flight
NEED TO KNOW
- A Los Angeles-bound flight made an emergency landing after a pilot thought there was a break-in attempt in the cockpit
- The miscommunication was due to an “inter-phone system” failure as a flight attendant tried to contact the pilot
- “We apologize for the inconvenience,” SkyWest told PEOPLE in a statement
A commercial airplane made an emergency landing in Nebraska after a communication error caused chaos during the flight.
SkyWest Flight 6469, operated by American Eagle, returned to Omaha’s Eppley Airfield shortly after takeoff on the evening of Monday, Oct. 20.
The panic began when a pilot reportedly heard knocking on the cockpit door and was unable to contact his crew. Thinking someone was attempting to break into the cockpit, he chose to make an emergency landing, USA Today reports.
The cause turned out to be a flight attendant that had knocked on the cabin door when they couldn’t reach the pilot due to a system failure.
In a statement to PEOPLE, SkyWest said the flight “returned to Omaha out of abundance of caution after experiencing communication issues with a flight crew mic,” before continuing on to Los Angeles later.
“We apologize for the inconvenience,” the statement concluded.
The aircraft took off from Eppley Airfield at 7:23 p.m. local time en route for Los Angeles, but returned approximately 36 minutes later after traveling only 40 miles, according to FlightRadar.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the emergency landing happened after “the pilot could not contact the cabin crew,” per ABC 7. “After landing, it was determined there was a problem with the inter-phone system and the flight crew was knocking on the cockpit door.”
PEOPLE obtained footage of passengers filming as the scene unfolded on the tarmac at Eppley Airfield.
“We weren’t sure if something was going on with the airplane, so that’s why we’re coming back here,” the captain was heard telling those who were onboard over the PA system. “It’s gonna be a little bit. We have to figure out what’s going on.”
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Ultimately, SkyWest Flight 6469 was cleared for takeoff, and landed at Los Angeles International Airport shortly after midnight.
Read the original article on People
