A United Airlines flight from Chicago to Minneapolis was diverted to Madison, Wisconsin, on Friday night after an unruly passenger attempted to breach the cockpit. The flight, carrying 147 passengers and six crew members, landed safely at Dane County Regional Airport, where local law enforcement and FBI agents responded.
The passenger was taken into custody by the Dane County Sheriff's Office. No injuries were reported. After the incident, the flight continued to Minneapolis, landing early on Saturday morning, according to FlightAware data.
A United Airlines spokesperson confirmed that Flight 2005 was diverted to address a security concern with an unruly passenger. The FBI in Milwaukee stated that agents responded to the airport, and the subject was detained before passengers resumed their journey.
In air traffic communications obtained by NBC News, crew members described the situation: 'I do not believe they ever cuffed him, but they were able to finally get control of him after multiple attempts to try to breach the cockpit.' The crew added that the passenger was seated and flanked by law enforcement.
Aircraft hijackings have been rare in the US since the September 11, 2001 attacks, but between 1968 and 1972, over 130 US planes were hijacked, many with demands to be flown to Cuba.
