Passenger attacks flight attendant and tries to storm cockpit at ‘full sprint’

‘If he did actually get into that cockpit lord knows what would have happened,’ says passenger

A passenger has been charged with aggravated assault after he hit a member of cabin crew and ran at the cockpit at a “full sprint” and tried to break in during a United Express flight.

Matthew Dingley, 28, started behaving erratically while on flight 4965, operated by Commutair, flying from Washington Dulles to Newark on 9 January.

As the flight was preparing to land, Dingley ran up to the cockpit “in a full sprint” and started hitting the door, an eyewitness told WNBC.

Fellow passenger Mike Egbert reported seeing Dingley hit a female flight attendant when she tried to intervene.

Another passenger with law enforcement experience managed to get the situation under control.

“If he did actually get into that cockpit lord knows what would have happened,” said Mr Egbert.

However, the violence escalated further once police arrived to apprehend him.

According to Mr Egbert, Dingley picked one officer up and threw him on his back.

A spokesperson for the Port Authority Police told The Independent that six officers were injured in the altercation, including one who broke four ribs.

“Once the plane came to a stop on the tarmac and the plane door opened, the suspect charged the PAPD officers who responded to the call, causing them to fall down the plane’s stairs being used to discharge passengers and hit the pavement,” said the spokesperson. “More officers responded to assist and were successful in restraining the suspect.”

He has since been taken into custody and charged with aggravated assault, criminal trespassing, resisting arrest and interfering with transportation.

The flight attendant Dingley attacked was admitted to hospital, as were the injured officers.

“CommutAir flight 4965, operating as United Express from Washington Dulles to Newark, landed without incident and was met by local law enforcement due to a disruptive passenger,” a Commutair spokesperson told The Independent.

“Our primary concern is always to ensure the safety of all customers and crew and we are cooperating with authorities. We express our gratitude for the quick reaction of our passengers and crew who responded during this incident.”

It’s not the first time a disruptive passenger has caused problems.

Last week, a “very drunk” man was arrested at an airport in the US after he made several women “uncomfortable” and put a knife on the table, before locking himself in an airport toilet to continue smoking and drinking.

The unnamed passenger, 50, was at Gen. Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport in Illinois when his behaviour first attracted attention.