An American Airlines flight from New York (United States) to Milan (Italy) had to turn back on the night of April 7 to 8, 2025, after a passenger tried to break into the cockpit. The incident, which occurred over the Atlantic, caused panic on board.
Four hours after taking off from New York, a flight bound for Milan made an emergency turnaround in the night from Monday to Tuesday. The fault lay with an unruly passenger who tried to enter the cockpit, reports the New York Post.
The airline did not react
American Airlines Flight 198, which departed from JFK Airport at 7 p.m., was flying over the Atlantic when the situation escalated. According to several witnesses, a man sitting in the back of the plane reacted violently after being denied the meal he wanted and prevented from sitting in an exit row with a baby. He attacked the flight crew before rushing to the front of the plane. “We noticed a commotion at the back, then they started asking if there was a policeman, a soldier or someone to intervene,” said Krystie Tomlinson, a passenger. Before continuing: “He ended up running down the aisle, past all the seats and tried to force his way into the pilot’s cabin.”
At first, the crew spoke of “technical problems”. But very quickly, the passengers realized that it was a more serious incident. “The guy was still free in the back, without any restraint. It was scary, there were 300 of us on board, no air marshals, with a madman behind us,” said Michael Scigliano. The Boeing landed again at JFK at around 3 a.m. The passenger was taken care of by the authorities, but the travelers were forced to remain on board during the intervention. No compensation was offered. The passengers were offered a replacement flight, which took off on Tuesday morning at 11 a.m.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has opened an investigation. The airline has not yet responded to this incident.
