Napping Worker Trapped In Alaska Airlines Cargo Hold
A napping worker became trapped inside an Alaska Airlines cargo hold on Monday morning. Although the plane was in the air for nearly 15 minutes, the unnamed man was not injured in the incident.
As reported by Washington Post, the worker was an employee of Menzies Aviation, which provides sub-contractors to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
Although his shift was not set to begin until 5:30 am, the man reportedly arrived early and decided to take a nap inside the plane’s cargo hold.
In an official statement, an Alaska Airlines spokesperson confirmed the man was part of a team — which was tasked with loading luggage onto planes.
According to reports, the team leader was somewhat concerned about the man’s unexplained absence. However, he said he checked the cargo hold and called the man’s cell phone before closing the door.
Alaska Airlines plane makes emergency landing after screams heard from cargo hold http://t.co/bwfOCESywJ pic.twitter.com/zXWzSxcPJD
— HuffPost UK (@HuffPostUK) April 14, 2015
Shortly after takeoff, the napping worker realized he was trapped inside a flying plane. As he feared for his life, the man began hitting the ceiling and walls.
Thankfully, passengers noticed unusual noises coming from under the plane. Passenger Robert Higgins said he initially “thought there was something wrong with the landing gear.” Jamie Davis, who was also on the plane, said he knew something was terribly wrong when he “started hearing yelling, screams for help.”
The passengers alerted a flight attendant, who told the pilot someone was trapped inside the cargo hold. The pilot immediately turned the plane around and returned to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
Sleepy airport worker nearly catches a ride to LA in the cargo hold of Alaska Airlines flight: http://t.co/nx9lt5Kdck pic.twitter.com/e1wRCvMAnI
— Good Morning America (@GMA) April 14, 2015
Authorities confirmed the man was not injured in the incident. However, he was taken to a local hospital for observation. As reported by ABC 7, the worker was also given a drug test, which he passed.
Although the incident is still under investigations, authorities said they do not expect to charge the napping worker for becoming trapped inside the cargo hold.
Neither Alaska Airlines nor Menzies Aviation have commented on the man’s employment status. However, they confirmed the incident delayed the plane’s arrival to Los Angleles by more than one hour.
The identity of the napping worker was not revealed. Despite becoming trapped on a flying plane, the man walked away from the incident unharmed.
[Image via Flickr]
