A United Airlines flight from Chicago to Minneapolis was forced to make an emergency landing in Madison last night after a passenger allegedly attempted to enter the cockpit. According to multiple news sources, United Flight 2005 departed O’Hare Airport at 8 PM Friday when an unidentified male passenger, reportedly “ranting in Russian,” tried to force his way into the cockpit about 20 minutes after takeoff.
The pilots declared a “level 4” threat, indicating a possible hijacking situation. Multiple off-duty law enforcement officers on the flight helped subdue the passenger and the plane landed safely at Dane County Regional Airport around 9:30 PM, where Dane County Sheriff’s deputies arrested the unruly passenger. Initial concerns about this being part of a coordinated attack have been dismissed.
In an update, a Dane County Regional Airport spokesperson and the sheriff’s office said a 75-year-old unruly passenger was detained and handcuffed on the flight by sheriff’s office deputies. Officials said initial investigation suggested the passenger appeared confused and was experiencing an apparent mental health crisis. The man’s family in Minnesota was contacted and was traveling to Madison to be reunited with him, according to a Saturday morning update.
All 147 passengers and six crew members were unharmed, and the remaining passengers resumed their flight to Minneapolis early this morning. The FBI Milwaukee Division’s Madison Resident Agency took over the investigation and advised that no criminal charges be pursued at this time.
