An American Airlines flight made an emergency landing in Nebraska shortly after take-off after the pilots mistakenly feared someone was trying to break into the cockpit and hijack the plane when flight attendants started banging on the cockpit door.
American Airlines Flight 6469 made the abrupt return to Omaha Airport late Monday — less than 40 minutes after departing for Los Angeles.
The saga unfolded when the flight crew suddenly lost contact with the pilots due to a glitch with the intercom, a spokesperson for the airline said.
A flight bound for Los Angeles turned around in midair. Hank Gruver via StoryfulThe pilots, who could hear a static sound over the intercom, then thought someone was trying to hijack the plane when the flight attendants started pounding on the door of the cockpit.
They quickly turned the plane, operated by SkyWest, around and made the emergency landing.
“SkyWest Flight 6569 landed safely after returning to Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska, around 7:45 p.m. local time on Monday, Oct. 20, after declaring an emergency when the pilot could not contact the cabin crew,” the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.
Officials enter the plane after pilots believed someone was trying to break into the cockpit. Hank Gruver via Storyful“After landing, it was determined there was a problem with the inter-phone system and the flight crew was knocking on the cockpit door.”
Footage recorded by passengers showed law enforcement boarding the plane just moments after landing.
The captain later apologized to passengers as soon as the misunderstanding was cleared up, ABC7 reported.
“We weren’t sure if something was going on with the airplane, so that’s why we’re coming back here,” the captain said over the intercom, according to passengers.
The flight turned around shortly after takeoff. FlightAware.com
A flight bound for Los Angeles returned to a Nebraska airport after pilots feared someone was trying to break into the cockpit and hijack the plane. Hank Gruver via Storyful“It’s gonna be a little bit. We have to figure out what’s going on.”
The plane, an Embraer ERJ 175, was only 40 miles into the 1,300-mile journey when the mishap unfolded, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware.



