A 24-year-old woman from Sacramento, California, was arrested at Buffalo Niagara International Airport after she escaped an airplane through the emergency inflatable slide just before takeoff. According to WIBV 4, the woman, Cynthia McKnight, went on a tirade against airline workers before deploying the plane's emergency slide and running on the airport tarmac.
On Tuesday, Ms McKnight's flight was scheduled to travel from Buffalo Niagara International Airport to Chicago O'Hare International Airport. However, the plane was forced to return to its gate shortly after the incident occurred. According to WIBV 4, before the plane could reach the jet bridge, the 24-year-old woman allegedly opened the boarding door, deploying the emergency slide. She then used the slide to exit the airplane onto the tarmac.
Spencer Brown, an offensive tackle for the National Football League's (NFL) Buffalo Bills, was on the plane and tweeted about the incident afterwards. “Sitting on a plane. A lady is pissed. Lady pulls the emergency inflatable slide to escape the plane. Lady is running wild through the tarmac currently. Cops have arrived. Fight ruined. Memories made. Noice,” he tweeted saying. Mr Brown even shared a photo from the plane.
A US attorney, Alfonzo Cutaia, also tweeted his view of the incident from the airport terminal.
Citing News 4, Fox News reported that Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) Director of Public Affairs Helen Tederous said that the 24-year-old woman “faces a number of charges including disorderly conduct, harassment, trespass and criminal mischief.” Ms Tederous added that “according to detectives, McKnight actually opened the cabin door of the plane. The American Airlines flight was on route to Chicago.”
As per the report, the airline, in a statement said that Ms Mcknight was “quickly apprehended by local law enforcement and has been placed on American's internal refuse list pending further investigation”. “We thank out team members for their professionalism and their action to ensure the safety of our customers and fellow crew,” it added.
It is to mention that there were 65 other passengers and four crew members on board the plane at the time of the incident. No injuries were reported. After the incident, the plane was taken out of service and all of the passengers were rebooked on alternate flights, American Airlines stated, as per CBS News.
