An airline baggage handler who fell asleep while working intoxicated in a plane’s cargo hold ended up flying a sector of about 665km trapped in the hold.
The incident is a grave breach of airline security and is being investigated by the FBI, the US Attorney’s Office and the Chicago Police Department, according to USA Today. All three agencies have interviewed the suspect, who has reportedly told law enforcement officials he was intoxicated and fell asleep on the job.
The flight was American Airlines flight AA363 from Kansas City (Missouri) to Chicago O’Hare airport on Saturday 27 October 2018. The flight lasts about 90 minutes and is operated with a B737-800.
The employee, aged 23, works for American subsidiary Piedmont Airlines at Kansas City International Airport and was working on the ramp loading baggage “when he apparently took a nap inside the cargo hold before the flight”, the paper reported.
Fortunately for the baggage handler, the cargo hold is pressurised and heated. The young man was not charged with any crime and flew back to Kansas City on another American flight.
American Airlines has suspended him and is investigating.
Written by Peter Needham
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