01x04 - Trouble on the Tarmac

[bunniefuu]

[intense music]

- [Narrator] In

airplanes and airports,

people are acting up.

- [Narrator] And acting

out more than ever.

- [Narrator] In recent years,

unruly passenger incidents

have more than doubled,

and all of it is

caught on camera.

- [Narrator] So fasten

your seat belts.

We're headed for the

not so friendly skies.

- [Passenger] What is he doing?

[plane engine roaring]

- [Narrator] The

airline industry

has been struggling

with the shortage

of flight attendants,

partly because the job

has gotten tougher,

and one factor is the uptick

in hostile passengers.

Like this one.

[passengers shouting]

After this plane touches

down in San Diego,

a passenger begins throwing

punches at a flight attendant

who struggles to get

out of harm's way.

Then another passenger steps in.

[passengers shouting]

- [Passenger] She

came at her first.

- [Narrator] According

to court records,

the bloody battle started

when the flight attendant

asked the woman to

put on her mask,

fasten her seatbelt,

and put up her tray

table while taxiing,

standard FAA requirements.

- [Narrator] A

criminal complaint

filed against the passenger

said the bruised and

bloodied flight attendant

had to have two teeth replaced.

- [Passenger] A child, too.

- [Narrator] Once the

combative passenger

was removed from the airplane,

the flight attendant was

treated at a nearby hospital.

The passenger pleaded guilty

to one count of interfering

with the duties of

a flight attendant

and was sentenced to 15

months in federal prison.

[plane engine roaring]

Air travel is enough

of a pressure cooker.

When the conflict in question

involves a baby and a stroller,

emotions are bound to boil over,

and that's exactly

what happens here.

- [Narrator] Reportedly,

this woman was trying

to store her stroller

and it was taken from her

by this flight attendant,

allegedly striking

her in the process.

He later claimed

it was an accident.

- [Narrator] Passengers

saw what happened

and have her back.

- [Narrator] The

flight attendant

involved in the

exchange returns.

One passenger

confronts him directly.

- [Narrator] And the

situation escalates.

Yeah.

- Honey, sit down.

- [Narrator] The incident

became national news

and the airline issued

the mom an apology.

- [Narrator] As for

the flight attendant,

he was suspended.

[roaring plane engine]

- [Narrator] In the tight

quarters of an airplane cabin

- [Narrator] Things can

escalate pretty quickly.

A flight from Miami to

Chicago is delayed at the gate

because of a heated altercation.

- [Narrator] Witnesses

say this man

put his hands on a woman

sitting next to him

after insulting

her and her friend.

Law enforcement has

come in to remove him.

- What is it

Wait, wait, no.

- [Narrator] Shouting

from the other passengers

adds to a tense scene.

- [Passenger] Get him

off, get him off.

- [All] [chanting] Get

him off. Get him off.

Get him off. Get him

off. Get him off.

Get him off. Get him off.

- [Narrator] When the

man is confused

- What is the reason?

- [Narrator] Officers

try to restrain him.

[passengers shouting]

- Do not fight.

Do not fight, do you

understand that?

- [Narrator] But he resists.

- Yeah, no, you listen.

- [Officers] Do

you understand me?

- [Narrator] And keeps

repeating himself.

- I'm asking you right now

because you have to answer.

- [Narrator] So the officers

try another strategy.

- What are you, no.

- [Narrator] The

officer's decision

will either take the man down

or aggravate the

situation even further.

[passenger screams]

- [Officer] Get the

(bleep) outta here.

- [Narrator] A plane scheduled

to fly from Miami to Chicago

hasn't gotten off the

ground because of this man.

- [Passengers] [chanting]

Get him off. Get him off.

- [Narrator] He

reportedly put his hands

on another passenger

and now officers are trying

to remove him from the plane.

- [Officer] Johnson,

watch out. Watch out.

Johnson, watch out.

- [Officer] Watch out, Johnson.

- Go ahead.

- [Officer] Get the

(bleep) outta here.

- [Narrator] But the shock

doesn't seem to work.

[taser buzzing]

- [Narrator] The man is

reportedly tased 10 times,

yet somehow seems impervious

to the massive voltage.

Until finally, he

gives up the fight.

- [Narrator] Passengers

are delighted

to see the man

hauled away in cuffs.

- [Passengers] Bye,

you deserve it.

- [Narrator] Police said the man

later tried to grab

an officer's g*n

and damage the golf cart

used to transport him.

He was charged with

multiple offenses

including disorderly conduct

and resisting arrest.

[plane engine roaring]

Flyers are always

advised to stay alert

and keep belongings

within reach,

because someone else

might reach for them.

At Rome's Fiumicino Airport,

travelers are passing through

a routine security screening.

The man in a T-shirt

places his items,

including envelopes

containing $9,000 in cash,

into a security bin,

then continued to the scanner.

As agents ask him to go

through security again.

The stranger

standing behind him,

this man in the

white button down,

places his belongings in a bin.

The man in the T-shirt is

then told to move forward

to a different scanner.

On another camera.

The second man arrives at

the conveyor belt first,

spotting the envelopes.

He reaches in and grabs them.

Then, without missing a beat,

casually takes his

own belt and sweater.

The envelope owner is

now through security

and frantically looking

for his $9,000,

which was meant to pay for a

relative's medical expenses.

Just a few feet away, it appears

the man in the button

down walks off,

still carrying the envelopes.

He was arrested by

Italian border guards

as he tried to board

his flight to Russia.

The envelopes were found

stashed in the airport bathroom

and later returned

to the victim.

[airplane engine roars]

Trying to open an airplane door

mid-flight is an

extremely bad idea.

- [Narrator] After

fellow passengers

claim this man tried

to do just that,

he's tackled face down

by the passengers

and a crew member on

his flight to Atlanta.

- [Attendant] I need everyone

to take their seats

right now, (indistinct).

We can't get forward

with restraints

if everybody's in the aisle.

- [Narrator] Thankfully,

no injuries were reported

and the plane was

diverted to Oklahoma City.

As for the disruptive passenger,

according to the airline,

the man was actually an

off-duty flight attendant

and did not attempt

to open a plane door

but made an unauthorized

announcement over the PA system,

telling passengers to put

on their oxygen masks.

His move toward the PA system

may have led some passengers

to think he was heading

for the plane door.

He was charged with one

count of interference

with flight crew

members and attendants.

[airplane engine roars]

Getting stuck on the tarmac

is a typical headache

of air travel,

but there's nothing typical

about this tarmac delay.

A man is spotted on the runway

at McCarran International

in Las Vegas.

And he actually makes

it onto the wing

of a parked airplane

full of passengers.

- [Passenger] What is going on?

- [Passenger 2] (indistinct)

outside.

- [Narrator] The pilot

kills the engines

as law enforcement is called in.

- [Narrator] But

this incident

- [Passengers] Is far from over.

- [Narrator] It was

just another day

at Las Vegas's

McCarran International

until this man

rushed the runway.

- [Narrator] And

is now on the wing

of a stationary aircraft,

taunting passengers.

- [Narrator] Luckily,

air marshals

have arrived on the scene.

- [Passenger] Are they just

gonna tase him right there?

- [Passenger] What are they

gonna do with that taser,

knock him off?

He's gonna fall off.

- [Passengers] Oh, (bleep).

- [Narrator] But before air

marshals can reach him

[passenger gasping]

- There he goes.

- [Narrator] The

man falls 20 feet

and lands on the

concrete tarmac.

- [Passenger] That's

what needed to happen.

Honestly, he wasn't coming down

and he was gonna jump.

He's still conscious.

He just has a little

cut on his cheek.

- [Narrator] As first

responders rush

the man to the hospital,

passengers try to process

what just happened.

- [Passenger] Never had anything

like that happen

on a plane before.

- [Passenger] I mean, she said

she's been in

attendant for 30 years

and has never seen

anything like this.

- [Narrator] After

suffering minor injuries,

the man was arrested

and later pleaded no contest

to a trespassing charge,

serving six months in prison.

[plane engine roaring]

This is the island

of Saint Martin,

where air travel madness

doesn't necessarily go down

on planes or inside the airport.

This beach is so close

to the airport runway,

thrill seekers get their kicks

standing in jet streams

of 150 miles per hour,

which are extremely powerful.

This woman seems to

be having a lot of fun

until she discovers

this impending force.

[plane engine roaring]

As we see that blast again.

Her friend goes first and

barely misses the wall,

but then she slams

right into it.

She walked away unharmed.

But not everybody

has been so lucky.

This improvised attraction has

caused its share of injuries

and at least one fatality.

[plane engine roars]

[plane engine roars]

All is quiet on

this Florida beach.

And then

[plane engine roars]

[woman screaming]

- [Narrator] A World

w*r II airplane

makes an emergency landing

in the Atlantic Ocean

right in front of

hundreds of sunbathers.

- [Narrator] The restored

1940s military aircraft

was flying at a nearby air show,

when it suffered a

mechanical failure.

The fast acting pilot was forced

to bring the plane down

in the waist deep water,

and he managed to do it

without injuring himself

or anyone else.

- [Witness] Oh.

[woman screaming]

[plane engine roaring]

- [Narrator] Rushing the

c*ck is a move likely

to get any passenger

into big trouble,

but a man reportedly tried it

aboard this flight to Nashville.

- [Narrator] Fortunately,

these passengers were willing

to put the safety of

their fellow travelers

before their own.

Together with the cabin crew,

they bind the disruptive

man's hands and feet.

- [Narrator] With the

disorderly passenger

out of the way,

the plane is diverted

to New Mexico

where authorities remove

him from the plane

and take him into custody.

According to his attorney,

the man was having an

acute mental break.

He was detained,

but later released into

a sober living facility.

[plane engine roaring]

Losing your credit card

or even your whole wallet

is one of the financial

nightmares of travel.

Getting hit with an unexpected

expense is another one,

and it can make tempers flare.

Here, a car valet

at John Glenn Columbus

International Airport

is having a discussion

with actor, comedian,

Faizon Love,

when seemingly out of nowhere

[dramatic music]

Reportedly, the brutal attack

was over a thousand

dollar charge for a car

Love had left in the

airport's long-term parking.

The actor claimed the

valet mouthed off to him,

threatening to push him around,

and Love reacted.

Now the question is,

who will pay the price

for this startling scuffle?

- [Narrator] At John Glenn

Columbus International Airport,

actor/comedian Faizon Love

has gotten into a

physical altercation

with a parking valet,

reportedly over a bill.

The other valets rush

in and try to stop

the "Couples Retreat" star from

beating up their colleague.

The valet reportedly walked away

with a cut above his eye,

and Love was arrested on a

misdemeanor as*ault charge.

The actor later

pleaded no contest,

receiving a 180 day

suspended jail sentence

and a $500 fine.

[plane engine roaring]

Nothing unusual

seems to be going on

outside this security checkpoint

at Orlando International,

until what sounds like a g*nsh*t

sends the orderly

crowd into a panic.

And when a nearby

backpack starts to smoke,

travelers scatter

in every direction.

TSA officer Ricardo Perez

bravely approaches

the smoking bag

and quickly removes it

from the crowded area.

It turns out the sound

wasn't a g*nsh*t,

but a lithium

battery that exploded

inside the backpack,

causing the cloud of smoke.

The incidents trigger

numerous delays

and nearly two

dozen cancellations.

All passengers, even the

ones already onboard planes,

had to go through

security a second time.

[plane engine roaring]

All is calm at this

airport terminal.

Until travelers notice a man

on the second floor yelling

and cursing outside

an airport bar.

It looks and sounds

like a typical argument,

when suddenly

[crowd screaming]

He drops 30 feet

from the balcony

to the ground below.

Shocked travelers

hurry to assist

the seriously injured man.

The 32-year-old was allegedly

intoxicated when

he took this fall.

[crowd screaming]

He had to be rushed

to the hospital.

But luckily, no one

else was injured

and the man amazingly survived.

[plane engine roaring]

Sometimes it takes just one

person to cause total chaos

for hundreds of travelers.

A plane is taxiing

at Hartsfield-Jackson

Atlanta International

and outside the window,

a nearly naked man

is on the loose.

- [Narrator] It's unclear

why he's on the runway

and stripped down

to his boxer briefs.

But airport cameras

capture the man

running barefoot across traffic

and hopping a fence

onto airport property.

- [Narrator] Passengers

on board the flight

watch in disbelief.

- [Narrator] Atlanta Police

respond within minutes.

- [Narrator] Police

believe the man

may have been under the

influence of narcotics.

He was later sentenced

to community service

and a fine for one count of

second degree criminal damage.

[plane engine roaring]

Once a flight takes off,

it's fair to assume the

only potential troublemakers

are among the

passengers and crew.

Not in this case.

- [Narrator] Multiple

airlines report

seeing the airspace intruder.

- [Narrator] So,

the FBI and the FAA

launch an official

investigation.

- [Narrator] But he

remains unidentified.

[plane engine roaring]