Panic in the cockpit: American Airlines pilots mistake crew for hijackers, make emergency landing

(representative Image)

An American Airlines flight bound for Los Angeles made an emergency landing in Nebraska after pilots mistakenly believed someone was trying to break into the cockpit when flight attendants began banging on the door, the New York Post reported.

The incident occurred on Monday evening, shortly after American Airlines Flight 6469, operated by SkyWest, took off from Omaha’s Eppley Airfield. Less than 40 minutes into the journey, the plane abruptly turned back and made an emergency landing.

According to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the confusion began when the flight crew lost contact with the pilots due to a malfunction in the intercom system. The pilots reportedly heard only static sounds over the line and were unable to communicate with the cabin crew.

Unaware of the glitch, flight attendants tried to alert the cockpit by knocking on the door, which led the pilots to fear an attempted hijacking.

“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 FAA said in a statement. “After landing, it was determined there was a problem with the interphone system and the flight crew was knocking on the cockpit door.”

Video footage captured by passengers showed law enforcement officers boarding the aircraft moments after it landed.

The misunderstanding was quickly resolved once officials determined the cause of the communication failure. The captain later apologised to passengers, saying over the intercom, “We weren’t sure if something was going on with the airplane, so that’s why we’re coming back here. It’s gonna be a little bit. We have to figure out what’s going on.”

No one was injured in the incident, and the aircraft later resumed normal operations.