A Southwest Airlines passenger is being evaluated at a hospital after officials say he opened the plane's emergency exit hatch Sunday night and climbed out of the aircraft.
The New Orleans to Atlanta flight was still at the gate at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport about 7:40 p.m. and was not moving when a man opened the emergency exit door and climbed onto the wing. The man then jumped to the ground, where he was quickly detained by ground personnel, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office said.
Video recorded by a person who said they were on the flight appeared to show the man attempting to get into a truck parked on the apron before being wrestled to the ground by airport workers.
The sheriff's office said when deputies arrived that the 38-year-old man from Atlanta was "incoherent and not fully aware of his surroundings."
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It’s not immediately clear why the man opened the emergency exit and deputies said he did not leave anything on the plane and that he was not found in possession of any weapons.
The man, whose name is not being released because he has not been arrested, was taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation, officials said.
The sheriff's office said the man is not expected to face any local charges but that the investigation has been referred to federal authorities.
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No injuries were reported in the incident.
