By Jon Ostrower
SEATTLE — A Delta Air Lines flight made a turn back soon after takeoff from Seattle to Beijing on Thursday night after a passenger attempted to enter the cockpit, according to two people familiar with the incident.
Three people were injured in the incident aboard Delta flight 129, including two passengers and one crew member, the people said. The flight turned back as it was flying over the western coast of Canada.
The aircraft, a twin-aisle Boeing 767-300ER, returned safely to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport around 7:40 PM local time under Department of Defense escort.
Delta in a statement to CNN said a passenger was restrained and removed from flight 129 because of a “security incident” onboard, but did not elaborate. The passenger was taken into custody by law enforcement officers after the flight returned to the gate, Delta said. The Atlanta-based carrier said the flight would re-depart for Beijing again Thursday evening.
The Federal Aviation Administration referred questions to local law enforcement and the North American Aerospace Defense Command.
