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Passenger Tries to Enter Boeing 767 Cockpit
Two military fighter planes escorted an American Airlines jetliner to Chicago on Monday after a passenger described as being mentally ill barged into the plane's cockpit, federal officials said.
The 30-year-old man, who was traveling with his father, was subdued by two pilots and several passengers aboard Flight 1238 from Los Angeles, FBI spokesman Ross Rice said. It wasn't immediately clear how he gained access to the cockpit of the Boeing 767.
No one was injured, and the plane landed safely at O'Hare International Airport.
At the Chicago airport, some passengers told reporters that the man said he feared they were going to crash into the Chicago Sears Tower, the nation's tallest building.
``This man had some sort of mental problem. He is on medication and under a doctor's treatment,'' Rice said. ``This is not a terrorist incident and was not related in any way to the attacks on Sept. 11.''
Last week, Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta ordered all airlines to strengthen cockpit doors within 90 days. Several already have been doing so since the terrorist attacks.
Cockpit doors on airplanes have been designed to allow flight crews to escape quickly in an emergency.
The American Airlines plane was carrying a crew of nine and 153 passengers. The man's father, who was aboard the flight, alerted the crew before the plane took off that his son was acting strangely and suffered from some sort of illness, Rice said.
During the struggle, the pilot made a distress call and two F-16s were dispatched to escort the plane to the airport, Chicago Aviation Department spokeswoman Monique Bond said.
The passenger was in FBI custody Monday night but no charges were immediately filed.
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