NEW YORK — An airline passenger had to be duct taped to his seat after allegedly becoming drunk and unruly during a trans-Atlantic flight.
It happened on an Icelandair flight Thursday from Reykjavik to New York.
According to witnesses, the unidentified man spit on passengers and the flight crew and was screaming that “the plane was going to crash.”
The man was “hitting, screaming and spitting at other passengers, while yelling profanities,” according to airline spokesman Michael Raucheisen, who said the passenger’s “behavior was considered to be unruly and threatening.”
“To ensure the safety of those on board, he was restrained by passengers and crew and was monitored for his own safety for the duration of the flight,” he added.
The man was arrested after the flight arrived at JFK, the airline said.
The Port Authority said the man was taken to a local hospital.
“A 46-year-old man was taken into custody last night at JFK off an Icelandic flight and then brought to the hospital because Port Authority police determined he was intoxicated,” said Ron Marsico, a spokesman for the port authority.
“He was not charged … he’s free to go.”
Icelandair confirmed the incident adding that plastic ties and tape are standard on all flights.
“This equipment is on board all our flights in case an incident like this arises,” Raucheisen said.
In a separate incidents on Friday, a woman was pulled off a plane that landed in Newark after she was accused of being drunk and abusive, according to MyFoxBoston.
Also, a pilot was pulled off of a LaGuardia bound plane when he failed a sobriety test.
14 Comments to “Unruly Passenger Duct Taped to Airline Seat”
January 4, 2013 at 5:38 PM
Way to go. For some reason getting drunk, easy as that is, people get unruly, out of control, behave badly & make the rest of us miserable. These drunks may not be driving a car, but they are driving everyone nutz w/ their bad antics.
January 4, 2013 at 5:40 PM
He's free to o? Making terrorist threats on a plane and no consequences? Way to go DHS! Frisk grandmothers and three year olds, but let this one go. What a bunch of idiots.
January 4, 2013 at 5:44 PM
"Also, a pilot was pulled off of a LaGuardia bound plane when he failed a sobriety test? "
These Pilots need to stop drinking. Really pisses me off. Maybe this drunk guy sensed the drunk pilot?
January 4, 2013 at 10:08 PM
Pilots have one of the highest levels of alcoholism among professions.
January 4, 2013 at 7:14 PM
Duct tape is there anything it cant do.
January 4, 2013 at 7:57 PM
hahahahahha thank you!
January 5, 2013 at 6:17 AM
Duck Tape is like the Force.
It has a light side, and a dark side.
It holds the Universe together.
"Star Wars"
January 4, 2013 at 9:18 PM
You think DHS has any jurisdiction on a flight originating in Iceland? Idiot?
January 4, 2013 at 9:24 PM
They need a hatch to toss people like this out of the plane. Rid the world of garbage.
January 4, 2013 at 10:10 PM
Come on people tell me you haven't been duct taped to your seat by other passengers on a international flight before. It happens to me all the time.
February 11, 2013 at 4:19 PM
Wow that is rough it is like duct cleaning where you put the tape on yourself to get clean but just end up with no hair and kind of sticky.