A man caused not one, but two flight diversions within a span of 12 hours because he tried to open the cabin door to smoke while the plane was in the air.
The New York man, who reportedly spoke with a Russian accent, tried to light a cigarette on the plane in both incidences before heading to the emergency exits. His actions forced both flights to divert, KCTV reports.
In the first incident, the man was on a U.S. Airways flight from Las Vegas to Charlotte, North Carolina. The flight was forced to land in Albuquerque.
According to authorities who spoke with KCTV, the man was shaking the seat in front of him before he tried to light a cigarette and went to the exit door to try to smoke it.
The police and FBI interviewed the man but they did not charge him and he didn't manage to open the cabin door. He was released, but he didn't learn his lesson.
The man was then booked on a Chicago flight on a an American Airlines plane. He once gain tried to light a cigarette on board. Passengers said he lit the cigarette inside the aircraft and refused to stay in his seat. He once again tried to open the cabin door.
An off-duty federal agent that was on board, as well as several passengers, restrained the man and the plane was once again forced to land. It landed at Kansas City Airport at 11:30 a.m.
"He was just being obnoxious," a passenger said according to the Daily Mail. 'He was being belligerent.'
Another passenger said the man was speaking Russian and "kept trying to open the exit door to step outside and have a smoke."
The man was once again escorted off the plane and the rest of the passengers were able to continue on with their flight to Chicago within an hour.
The man was questioned by authorities but he was once again released without charges.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
