MCKINNEY, Texas — A passenger on an American Airlines flight to Dallas-Fort Worth tackled a man who threatened to open the plane door mid-flight, helping to subdue him until the plane landed safely.
Doug McCright, a McKinney businessman who happens to be in the middle of cancer treatment, was sitting in seat 1C during AA Flight 1915 Tuesday from Milwaukee.
“This guy comes up and stops and is talking to the flight attendant and you could tell the conversation wasn’t going well,” McCright said. “I stood up and told him, ‘She wants you to go back to your seat.’ That’s when he said, ‘I’m getting off this flight.’”
Moments later McCright and others were wrestling the man to the ground.
“There were five of us who swarmed him and got him to the floor,” McWright said. “Should I do this or not? That doesn’t even cross your mind. You’ve got to act. He's going for that door, and you've got to do something about it.”
Among the group was a Brink’s security trainer and an off-duty air marshal. They used duct tape to restrain him.
“At first, he ripped through the tape, but we eventually got his hands and legs bound,” McCright said. “I think it was about 30 minutes that we were there on the floor with the guy until we landed.”
Once on the ground law enforcement took him into custody. The incident is now under investigation by the FBI.
“He was obviously dealing with some mental health issues because he at one point he was saying ‘OK, you need to let me up. I'm the captain. I'm the captain. Let me up,' McCright said. "And then it was ‘everything's OK just let me go back to my seat."
The incident is one of two travel disruptions reported in North Texas ahead of the busy Thanksgiving travel season.
At Love Field on Wednesday, police tased a man who resisted arrest after being denied boarding at Gate 12.
“Unfortunately, since COVID, these incidents happen all year,” said Steve Cosgrove, CEO of Dynamic Travel. “This time of year, it’s worse because more people are flying.”
He’s urging travelers to plan ahead as airports brace for the holiday rush.
Friday is expected to be the busiest day of Thanksgiving travel at DFW Airport, with 266,000 travelers. Love Field’s peak is anticipated Sunday, with 44,000 passengers expected on Southwest Airlines.
