A passenger on an Alaska Airlines flight caused panic after allegedly trying to force open a cabin door mid-air while suffering from severe hallucinations, telling terrified fellow travellers that the aircraft's wings had vanished and everyone was going to die.
Chaos at 18,000 Feet
According to an FBI affidavit, the incident occurred on December 10, 2025, aboard Alaska Airlines Flight 87, a Boeing 737 travelling from Deadhorse to Anchorage. The aircraft was climbing through approximately 18,000 feet when Kassian William Fredericks, a 36-year-old from Wasilla, began behaving erratically.
Court documents state that Fredericks was overheard saying "Stop the plane, stop the plane" and looking repeatedly toward the rear of the aircraft. When another passenger asked if he was alright, Fredericks claimed invisible people were flying the plane from the back and were trying to take over. He insisted that "meth is coming out of the air vents" and that "everybody is freaking out".
The Attempt to Open the Door
The situation escalated dramatically when Fredericks moved to the rear of the plane and began aggressively trying to open the cabin door. A passenger emerging from the lavatory, identified as J.M., saw Fredericks had already moved the door's handle upward and rushed to intervene.
It took three male passengers to physically restrain Fredericks and pin him to his seat, with one witness later remarking that the presence of several "North Slope roughnecks" on board, who were larger in stature, likely prevented a worse outcome. Flight attendants considered using zip ties but feared it would escalate his behaviour further.
The pilot received a warning light indicating tampering with the door. While the door is physically impossible to open in flight due to cabin pressure, authorities noted that manipulating the mechanism could have deployed the emergency slide inside the cabin, causing serious injury.
Aftermath and Legal Charges
After the plane landed at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, Fredericks was escorted off by police and taken to a hospital. There, he told doctors he had been drinking alcohol for nine to ten days straight, was hallucinating, and could not remember the last two years of his life. He was also reportedly on prescription medication for anxiety.
Kassian William Fredericks was arrested on December 14 and charged with one felony count of interference with flight crew members. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. His court-appointed lawyer, federal defender Jane Imholte, did not respond to a request for comment.
This incident follows other recent similar cases, including an Alaska Air passenger sentenced to probation in 2025 for trying to open a door and biting a flight attendant.
