Passenger forces flight to return after trying to enter cockpit, open exit doors

A United Airlines passenger forced a flight to return to the gate after trying to enter the cockpit and opening the exit doors before takeoff.

The Federal Aviation Administration and United Airlines told journalist that the incident happened Friday on United Airlines flight 1641 at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. According to officials, the disruption occurred while the plane was taxiing on the runway at about 9 p.m.

“The passenger was not successful, and law enforcement greeted the unruly passenger at the gate,” the FAA said in a statement.

United Airlines said the flight was canceled.

Representatives for the Chicago Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.

It’s not the first time this summer that passengers have misbehaved on flights.

In July, a Sun Country Airlines passenger climbed out of an emergency exit and jumped off the plane wing. A month later, a Delta Air Lines passenger threatened a flight attendant and put her in a chokehold during a flight.

As of September 3, the FAA has recorded 1,384 reports of unruly passengers in 2023 so far. That’s way more than typical pre-pandemic numbers but a far cry from 2022 when the FAA recorded a whopping 5,973 reports of unruly passengers.