By Shaun Smillie Staff Reporter
A man on an SAA flight had to be escorted off the plane by Kenyan police after he “went berserk” and tried to open the aircraft door mid-flight.
It was eventually the actions of a steward that subdued the burly passenger, minutes before the plane touched down in Nairobi.
“The steward was an absolute hero, everyone was petrified,” said Trevor Baker, a passenger on flight SA182, which landed at 7.30 last night. He said the trouble began 10 minutes before the plane was scheduled to land.
The man, who Baker believes was in his late 40s, got up and walked towards one of the doors of the aircraft. He said he wanted to get off. “The steward took the man by the shoulder and led him away from the door,” said Baker.
The passenger then tried to approach the other aircraft door and hit the steward.
“I saw the steward go down. He got up, kept his cool and carried on talking to the man,” said Baker.
At one stage, Baker said, the steward checked to see if the door to the pilot’s cabin was locked. He also had a pair of handcuffs with him but did not use them.
The steward eventually persuaded the man to go to the back of the plane.
When the airliner landed, Kenyan police escorted the man off the plane.
Baker said the passenger had been sitting with a group of about six other men and appeared to have been drinking during the flight.
SAA spokeswoman Vimla Maistry confirmed that a disruptive passenger had been on the flight and was escorted off the airliner by police.
Source: www.iol.co.za
Comentarios