Chaos erupted this week on a Frontier Airlines flight from Denver to Houston, with the man beginning to slap the window and several seats around him, and other passengers in shoelaces and zip ties until the plane lands. urged to suppress the
The struggle, which was captured on video and photos taken by passengers, began about 40 minutes after flight 4,856 on Tuesday night.
The plane reached a cruising altitude of 35,000 feet when the man broke the inside of the window and its plastic frame.
So far, no man whose name has been released by authorities has been charged with a crime. It was not clear what led to his explosion.
The flight passengers said there were no aviators on the flight, so crew members were urged to ask if they had experience in law enforcement or the military.
Tanner Phillips, 34, a 6-foot-5-pound and 240-pound Army veteran, said he was sitting about 20 rows away from the man on Saturday.
“The first thing I heard was that other people were screaming for security,” Phillips said.
He says his instincts were quickly kicked after the flight attendant asked passengers for help via the plane's intercom.
“I don't know if it's a terrorist attack,” he said. “You could hear them panic a bit. If he breaks that outer pane, we're all in trouble.”
He said another passenger gave the string from his boots and he tied the man's wrists.
“Everyone on the plane came together very quickly and efficiently,” said Phillips, who lives in San Diego and originally originally from Texas.
After learning that the man had not been charged initially, Phillips said he had sent an email to Frontier Airlines to express his frustration, explaining that he was apologetic but “blase.” He said he received the response.
“Sorry, about your feelings, bud,” he said, explaining the airline's response. “I, are you teasing me now?”
Heating and air conditioning technician Eric Sterchevic, a native of Katie, Texas, said there was no special training on Saturday, but he couldn't just sit and watch.
He returned with his wife and 13-year-old daughter from a ski trip in Colorado. The family was about 10-15 rows away from the man.
“I heard there was a fuss going on, he's kicking things,” Starsevic said. “Then the next thing you know is he's going to punch out the window.”
Starcevic said it seemed like an unruly passenger had cut his hands and punched the window. Photos taken by Starcevic show blood on the shades of the window and the wall next to the man's seat.
Starcevic, 45, said he and four other men rushed to intervene, explaining a desperate search for something passengers could use to tie the man's hands and feet. Starcevic said he and the other men took turns switching the rest of the two- and 16-minute flight before arriving at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, holding the man in check and protecting him. .
Victor Senties, a spokesman for the Houston Police Department, said Saturday that Frontier Airlines had refused to file charges against the man at the time.
Frontier spokesperson Jennifer F. de la Cruz wrote in an email on Saturday that the FBI was investigating.
Connor Hagan, a spokesman for the department's Houston Field Office, said the FBI was working closely with Frontier and the Houston Police Department as part of the investigation. He noted that the FBI has primary jurisdiction in investigating crimes that occur on aircraft.
This episode will be added to the list of famous examples of air rage. In 2021, Frontier Airlines passengers attacked three flight attendants, punched one on a flight from Philadelphia to Miami, exploring the chests of the other two, and in his seat until the plane landed. I pasted the tape.
In 2024, the Federal Aviation Administration said it received 2,102 reports of unruly passengers from the airline, up 1% from 2023. In its unruly airline passenger policy, the agency said the recent increase indicates that it remains a problem.
