(NECN: Julie Loncich, Boston) - An in-flight disturbance forced a plane to land at Boston's Logan Airport when a passenger reached for the cockpit door.
"It happened so fast it seemed surreal," said David Ray, a passenger on board U.S. Airways Flight 3801, operated by Air Wisconsin. "Like, is this really happening, and then by the time it registered, it was taken care of."
Ray was one of 50 passengers on board the Flight 3801 making its way from Portland, Maine to Philadelphia when, in mid-air, a male passenger got out of his seat and tried opening the cockpit door. The flight was immediately diverted to Boston's Logan Airport.
"He came up to the front and a couple of people were yelling at him like, 'Hey, what's wrong? Do you need something?'" recounted Amos Cooper, another passenger. "And the flight attendant escorted him back."
In this day and age, passengers say their fellow passengers acted quickly by assisting the flight attendant in getting the man under control.
"At first, people were like freaking out because he was opening the cabin door, so people were like, 'What are you doing?'" said Lauren Moore, also a passenger on board Flight 3801. "The flight attendant rushed over and said, 'What are you doing? Can you please sit down?' And he sat the man down. We think he was confusing it for the bathroom because he then peed his pants."
Although the man was taken into custody by Mass. State Police upon landing, sources tell NECN that 40-year-old Michael Ensalaco of Mooreville, N.C. experienced a medical issue, and say his unruly behavior wasn't intentional.
