A man is in custody after authorities found him climbing the wing of an Alaska Airlines flight preparing to take off from Las Vegas’s McCarran International Airport.
Flight 1367, bound for Portland, was preparing to take off from the airport when the pilot noticed a person approaching the aircraft and notified the control tower, Alaska Airlines said in a statement.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police and airport officials took the man, who hopped a perimeter fence to access the aircraft, into custody, airport spokesman Joe Rajchel told CNN.
A passenger video showed the man sitting and walking on the wing before taking off his socks and shoes as he climbed the Boeing 737’s winglet.
WTH did I just witness… #alaskaairlines #alaskaflight1367 #lasvegas #lasvegasairport pic.twitter.com/vdXsDrrU44
— ErinInWA (@ErinInWA) December 13, 2020
As police officers approached the man, he slid down the winglet and fell onto the tarmac below the aircraft.
Officials took the man into custody and transported him to a medical facility, Rajchel said.
The plane returned to its gate for a full inspection after the incident, according to Alaska Airlines.
According to Alaska Airlines, the flight was supposed to depart at 12:30 p.m., but with the delays, the plane did not actually take off until 4:48 p.m.
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