On a Delta flight from Atlanta to Los Angeles, an incident occurred on Monday in which a passenger suffered a bite wound.
Flight DL501, operated by an Airbus A350-900, was en route to Los Angeles when a male passenger bit another traveler and began striking multiple people. After being subdued and restrained, the crew reported the incident to air traffic control. Upon arrival at Los Angeles Airport, the man was transported to a hospital for a psychological evaluation, while the bitten passenger received on-site medical treatment. The reason for the aggressive behavior remains unclear, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched an investigation.
Two years ago, a similar event occurred aboard a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737. A woman attempted to open an aircraft door at an altitude of 11.2 kilometers. When other passengers realized her intentions, some of them assisted the cabin crew in restraining her. In response, she bit the inner thigh of a passenger.
According to court documents, she continued biting until the passenger forced his fingers along her jawline to make her release her grip, which eventually worked. He then wrestled her to the floor. After landing, he had to receive a hepatitis injection as a precaution.
Arrest and emergency landing
The woman’s actions forced the crew to make an emergency landing in Little Rock. When police attempted to remove her from the aircraft, she began banging her head on the floor and claimed that “Jesus told her to go to Ohio and open the door mid-flight.”
She had been traveling alone, without luggage, and had not informed anyone that she was taking the flight. To authorities, she stated that she had difficulty breathing, which led her to leave her seat and act erratically, claiming she “would not normally have done those things.”