An American Airlines flight made an emergency landing soon after takeoff on Monday after its pilots lost connection with the cabin crew. The Flight staff had been forced to bang on the locked cockpit door after being unable to contact them — sparking alarm that someone was trying to break in. Videos recorded by a passenger later showed SkyWest Flight 6569 being met on the tarmac by police vehicles.
The Federal Aviation Administration reportedly explained in a statement that the plane had declared an emergency “when the pilot could not contact the cabin crew”. It was later determined that there had been a problem with the inter-phone system “and the flight crew was knocking on the cockpit door”.
According to an ABC News update, the pilot had lost contact with the flight crew soon after taking off from Omaha. But this went unnoticed for some time —forcing the crew to bang on the door of the cockpit. Meanwhile the pilots had heard the commotion (and silence on the interphone) and mistakenly thought someone was trying to force entry into the space. They had promptly declared an emergency and returned the airplane to Omaha.
Saudia flight diverted as passenger loses consciousness in mid-air
The incident came mere days after a Saudia flight from Jakarta to Madinah was diverted to South India after a passenger fell unconscious. According to airport officials, the Indonesia-Saudi Arabia flight had contacted contacted Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on Sundy evening — making arrangements for an emergency landing and medical assistance.
The aircraft landed around 6.30 pm, and the passenger, an Indonesian national, was immediately rushed to Ananthapuri Hospital. Hospital officials said the passenger was brought in with complaints of chest pain and is being treated at the emergency unit.
(With inputs from agencies)