Royal Air Force Planes Scramble to American Airlines Flight Disruption
On Tuesday morning, the Royal Air Force (RAF) sent out a couple planes to investigate an American Airlines flight from Fort Worth, Texas to Heathrow Airport. A small scare came when the pilot requested priority approach to the airport after a female passenger repeatedly tried to break into the flight deck.
It’s understood that the Flight 78 female passenger has recently lost someone close to her, and she reportedly became agitated on the flight and looked as though she was having a panic attack. She is said to have tried multiple times to get into the cockpit. The pilot became alarmed by this and asked for a priority approach.
Shortly after the request, the Royal Air Force dispatched Typhoon jets from RAF Coningsby as a routine action. A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman says that the planes flew alongside the American Airlines flight until they were over Oxfordshire, where they then departed. She added that the jets didn’t escort the flight all the way to Heathrow like previously reported.
Everything turned out okay, and the 173 people landed safely at the airport. The cabin crew was able to calm the woman before landing, and then the police met the Boeing 767-300 and boarded it to arrest her. She was held in the custody of Heathrow police on suspicion of endangering an aircraft.
According to an American Airlines spokesman, the woman became distresses and tried to get in the cockpit, so a priority approach was requested as a precaution. He added that the pilot didn’t officially call for action from the Royal Air Force, and he may not have even known they were there.