Southwest Airlines passenger jumps from taxiing plane at Phoenix airport
The passenger from the Colorado Springs-to-Phoenix flight was taken to a hospital for a leg injury
A passenger jumped out of a Southwest Airlines flight that had just landed Saturday morning at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix, according to reports.
The passenger, identified only as a 30-year-old man, exited the plane from a galley door at the back of the aircraft and briefly locked himself inside a fire station on the tarmac, according to FOX 10 in Phoenix.
The pilot of Flight 4236 from Colorado Springs, Colorado, stopped the plane and contacted air traffic control. Authorities were able to get the man to unlock the door of a dormitory inside the fire station within a few minutes, KPNX-TV in Phoenix reported.
He was taken to a hospital for a leg injury. It was unclear if he would face any charges.
WOMAN ALLEGEDLY RUNS ON LAX TARMAC IN ATTEMPT TO WAVE DOWN PLANE
"They were in constant communication as soon as this person was on the runway, Sky Harbor control tower had eyes on him the entire time and that’s how they notified us. It just shows you how much of a well-oiled machine they are out there," Capt. Todd Keller of the Phoenix Fire Department said, according to FOX 10.
Southwest Airlines planes are seen at Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport on Oct. 11, 2021 in Baltimore. (Getty Images / Getty Images)
The plane reached the gate after a short delay, KPNX reported.
Phoenix police said the investigation into the incident was underway and it was not yet clear what motivated the man to jump from the plane, FOX 10 reported.
The incident was the latest in a surge in unruly air passengers since the pandemic started.
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Last summer, a passenger jumped out of a taxiing plane at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and last week a woman at LAX ran onto the tarmac attempting to wave down a plane.