United Airlines Passenger Opens Emergency Exit, Slides Down The Wing: Report

A passenger aboard a United Airlines flight was arrested for opening the emergency gate and sliding down the wing after the plane landed on Thursday.

The incident happened at 4.30am on Thursday when flight 2478 - a Boeing 737-900 - from San Diego touched down at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. When the plane was approaching the gate, a man opened the overwing exit in row 21, climbed out of the plane and onto the wing, and then jumped down.

@fly2ohare guy jumps out of my plane before we get to the gate. @united UA2478 pic.twitter.com/xgxRszkBfH

— MaryEllen Eagelston (@MEEagelston) May 5, 2022

According to CBS Chicago, Randy Frank Davila, 57, has been arrested for his reckless behaviour by Chicago officials. Mr Davila walked onto the wing of the plane and jumped onto the airfield, according to the Chicago Police Department. He was arrested and charged with a criminal assault, according to police. He will appear in court on June 27.

MaryEllen Eagelston, a passenger of the same flight, shared a post on Twitter which shows that the aircraft's emergency door is open. "@flyohare guy jumps out of my plane before we get to the gate @united UA2478," she said in the caption.

This is not the first time that unruly passengers have caused chaos on planes. A report earlier said that a passenger attempted to open the doors of the flight mid-air. The incident happened onboard American Airlines in February and the flight attendant had to hit him with a coffee pot.

United Airlines is a major American airline with headquarters in Chicago. United has a significant domestic (within the US) and international route network that connects major and minor locations across the world. It is the world's third-largest airline in terms of fleet size and number of routes.

United has eight hubs, the largest of which is Chicago's O'Hare, which carries the most passengers and has the most departures.