A passenger aboard a Delta flight recalled the harrowing moment the plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Newfoundland after a violent traveler broke free from the crew restraining him.
Delta Flight 97 was en route to Detroit, Michigan from Paris, France when the captain made an announcement that they would be making the landing.
Nicolas Fougere told Dailymail.com he was shocked when by the announced and wondered how serious it had to be for the flight to be landing before the final destination.
‘We knew that something had happened but we didn’t think it was that serious for someone to have to be taken off the flight before getting to the final destination,’ he said. ‘There was a little bit of worries – wondering what actually happened for it to be that bad.’
The plane landed on Friday afternoon at Stephenville Dymond Airport where the 34-year-old passenger was taken into custody by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Nicolas Fougere was on Delta Flight 97 from Paris, France to Detroit, Michigan when it was forced to make an emergency landing in Newfoundland because of an unruly passenger
Delta Flight 97 was en route to Detroit, Michigan from Paris, France when the captain made an announcement that they would be making the landing
The 34-year-old traveler was allegedly being ‘violent’ on the flight and ‘wouldn’t calm down’ on the trip from Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris, France.
He was restrained by airline staff but managed to break free before five to six passengers jumped in to restrain him again.
Fougere said the person sitting next to him had tried to go to the bathroom and witnesses the man arguing with another passenger.
‘She was told by the crew to go to a different bathroom,’ he added.
after the arguing, the crew tried to restrain the passenger, but he broke free and other passengers had to step in.
‘Who knows what would’ve happened if they had not stepped in,’ he said. ‘I’m just very thankful for those people and for the crew.’
He added that it was about an hour between announcement and when they landed in newfoundland.
‘It was an hour, but felt much longer.’
Stephenville Dymond Airport was a landing spot for planes on September 11 after North American airspace was shut down
The man was then arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and footage of the interaction was shared online.
Fougere shared a video of the man being marched down the aisle and off the Airbus A330-300 plane which had 261 passengers onboard.
‘What am I under arrest for?’, he is heard asking in the video.
‘As he was being taken out of the plane he kept saying, ‘Oh apparently I’m a threat to everyone on this plane,’ being a bit sarcastic about it.’
Fougere said that despite the delays, he got a sense that the passengers on the plane were just relieved the man was off the plane.
Everybody on the plane just very understanding. Our safety was what mattered more than anything.
When they arrived, police were already waiting for the,
‘We see a few police cars waiting for us there,’ Fougere said. ‘A few minutes afterward we see police officers coming into the plane – I believe six of them.
Randy Alexander, a local man posted photos of the emergency land that show authorities escorted the suspect off the plane.
A Delta flight heading to Detroit, Michigan was forced to make an emergency landing on a remote Canadian island after an unruly passenger broke free of his restraints
He was restrained by airline staff but managed to break free before five to six passengers jumped in to restrain him again
The flight landed at Stephenville Dymond Airport on the Canadian island of Newfoundland and the man was arrested by Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The flight then took off for Detroit 90 minutes after the man was removed from the plane.
A spokesman for Delta said: ‘Delta has zero tolerance for unruly behavior, especially when it potentially compromises the safety of our customers and flight crew.
‘This unruly customer was removed at Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador, and remanded to the custody of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.’
Stephenville Dymond Airport in Newfoundland has been in the headline before, as on September 11 several planes made unscheduled landings after North American airspace was closed. The town hosted about 3,000 passengers for a week after the attacks.
Unruly passengers can risk the safety of others on board a flight so unscheduled landings are not uncommon.
A United flight was forced to turn back three hours into its journey in April after a ‘disruptive’ passenger sat in an attendant’s seat and began screaming at the crew.
In February an American Airlines flight made an emergency landing after a passenger who was denied a drink charged towards the cockpit.
And a ‘drunk’ and ‘aggressive’ woman, onboard a flight heading to Las Vegas, was ordered off the plane last month over disorderly behavior and screamed at other passengers.
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