WATCH Mid-Air Panic: American Airlines Flight 6469 Makes Emergency Landing After Pilots Think Plane Is Being Hijacked, Here Is What Happened Next

An American Airlines flight 6469 on Monday made an emergency landing in Nebraska. According to reports a communication glitch led pilots to mistakenly believe someone in the flight was attempting to enter into the cockpit and hijack the plane which prompted the crew to make an emergency landing. 

The flight operated by  operated by SkyWest Airlines, took off from Omaha’s Eppley Airfield for Los Angeles on the evening of October 20.  The aircraft abruptly turned back to Omaha just after around 40 minutes into the journey following a breakdown in communication between the cockpit and cabin crew.

Fears Of Hijacking On American Airlines Flight 6469

According to reports quoting an airline spokesperson, the confusion began when the flight crew suddenly lost contact with the pilots due to a malfunction in the intercom system. The pilots reportedly heard only static noise over the channel and could not establish communication with the cabin staff.

When flight attendants began knocking on the cockpit door in an attempt to alert the pilots, the noise was misinterpreted as an attempted breach. This prompted fears of a hijacking.

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American Airlines Flight 6469 Makes Emergency Landing in Omaha

Acting out of caution, the pilots declared an emergency and redirected the Embraer ERJ 175 back to Omaha.

“SkyWest Flight 6569 landed safely after returning to Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska, around 7:45 p.m. local time on Monday, Oct. 20, after declaring an emergency when the pilot could not contact the cabin crew,” the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement.

“After landing, it was determined there was a problem with the inter-phone system and the flight crew was knocking on the cockpit door,” the agency added.

Once the plane landed, footage taken by passengers showed law enforcement officers boarding the aircraft moments after touchdown. The misunderstanding was soon clarified after the communication fault was identified.

Captain of American Airlines Flight 6469 Apologizes to Passengers

Following the incident, the captain addressed the passengers over the intercom, apologizing for the confusion.
“We weren’t sure if something was going on with the airplane, so that’s why we’re coming back here,” the captain explained, according to ABC7. “It’s gonna be a little bit. We have to figure out what’s going on.”

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