A United Airlines flight from Newark Liberty International Airport made an emergency landing in Washington on Thursday night after a passenger tried to open a door in mid-flight.
The pilot of Flight 1551, a Boeing 737 Max 8 carrying 145 passengers and six crew members bound for Guatemala City, reported the incident to air traffic control. The passenger attempted to open door 2L at 36,000 feet and then assaulted a fellow passenger, according to the pilot's transmission, reported by CBS News.
The plane landed safely at Dulles Airport at 8:38 p.m.
The exchange between the pilot and air traffic control captured the sequence of events. A tower controller asked which door the passenger had tried to open, and the pilot replied: "Door 2L at 36,000 feet and then [the passenger] assaulted a fellow passenger." When asked about injuries, the pilot responded: "Not to our knowledge."
United Airlines said the flight "was met by law enforcement to address an unruly passenger." The airline canceled the flight and added a replacement flight for Friday morning. Passengers were provided overnight accommodations.
The FBI said it responded to the incident at Dulles Airport but did not provide additional information.
