A British man was so unruly on a flight Friday that he could not be effectively restrained, causing the flight to be diverted to the Bangor airport, court records said.
Alexander Michael Dominic MacDonald, 30, was charged Friday with one felony count of interference with flight crew members and attendants and one misdemeanor count of assault on a special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States in U.S. District Court of Bangor.
MacDonald, from Hackney, on the east side of London, England, allegedly posed a safety threat to passengers and crew on an United Airlines flight from London to Newark. It was not safe to continue the flight, the captain of the flight told FBI investigators. The plane touched down in Bangor at 9:56 a.m. Friday, instead of landing in Newark as scheduled.
The flight crew and two passengers attempted to restrain MacDonald, who was being unruly, even with disposable handcuffs, court records said. There were about 160 passengers and 10 crew members on the flight.
MacDonald started to be an issue when he was loudly arguing with his girlfriend, according to court records. They both appeared to be intoxicated, a United Airlines spokesperson said previously.
A flight attendant asked MacDonald to stop, and he did so briefly, however a few minutes later he started yelling at a crew member, court records said. MacDonald asked the lead flight attendant if he “would like to have a problem?” and threatened to “mess up the plane.”
MacDonald backed the flight attendant into a corner and placed his hands on the attendant’s shoulders. The flight attendant and two passengers were able to get MacDonald into the disposable handcuffs, but the crew seat could not restrain him and he did not calm down, the court records said.
The flight needed to be landed for the safety of the crew. The flight attendant did not specifically say MacDonald was a threat to life, but the captain believed MacDonald threatened the plane, according to court records.
MacDonald will be held in custody until his trial because he poses a flight risk, court records said.
Interference with flight crew members and attendants carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, while assault on a special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States carries up to a year in jail.
The diverted flight happened nearly a year after two Englishmen were sentenced for similar behavior, which caused their flight to land unscheduled at the Bangor International Airport. The two men pleaded guilty to the same charges MacDonald is charged with. They had to pay $26,500 in restitution, the cost of landing at the airport.
