The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office met the plane upon arrival and took a male passenger into custody
NEED TO KNOW
- An international American Airlines flight was forced to turn around and return to Miami over a ‘disruptive customer’
- The incident occurred on Saturday, Jan. 31, according to a American spokesperson
- Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office personnel met the aircraft upon arrival and took one adult male into custody
An international American Airlines flight was forced to turn around and return to Miami due to a “disruptive customer” on board, a spokesperson for the carrier tells PEOPLE.The incident occurred on Saturday, Jan. 31, on board American flight AA2259. According to FlightAware, the plane departed the Miami International Airport in Florida at 8:38 p.m and was scheduled to land in Quito, Ecuador, after about four-and-a-half hours.
The flight proceeded as normal until the plane began flying over Cuba. According to aviation news outlet AirLive, flight crews transmitted a squawk 7700 — a code that serves as an international distress signal for general emergencies.
According to the California Aeronautical University, a squawk 7700 can refer to any kind of emergency flight crews encounter on a flight. The code signals to air traffic control that an aircraft needs immediate assistance. Flight crews can use it to alert of mechanical and technical issues, medical emergencies and even disruptive passengers.
If pilots issue a squawk 7700 and request an emergency landing, ground crews will begin clearing the runway and prepare the proper emergency services for the aircraft’s arrival…