Man jumps out of taxiing plane at DFW

Authorities say a 26-year-old passenger ran to the front of a taxiing plane, opened a door and slid down (the inflatable emergency exit slide) to the tarmac before being detained.” That’s from The Associated Press, which reports that the incident occurred on American Airlines Flight 1343 from Charlotte to Dallas/Fort Worth on Tuesday. No injuries were reported among the flight’s 87 passengers.

The Dallas Morning News says the unidentified man “was held until DFW Airport police arrived to investigate. He has since been referred to a local hospital for a psychological evaluation, said Brian Murnahan, an airport official. Murnahan said the man has not yet been charged with any crime, but he could face local, state and federal charges. It is unclear what prompted the man to jump.”

Still, even with the unusual incident, Flight 1343 pulled up to the gate only three minutes later than scheduled, AA spokesman Tim Smith tells the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Flights that arrive within 15 minutes of their scheduled time are considered to be “on-time,” according to federal monitoring standards.

Source: USA Today