Delta Airlines Flight Attendant determined to crash DL 1730 from LAX to ATL midair

Delta Airlines Flight Attendant determined to crash DL 1730 from LAX to ATL midair
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Avatar of Harry Johnson
Written by Harry Johnson

A Delta Airlines off-duty flight attendant forced an emergency landing of Delta Airlines flight 386 from Atlanta to Los Angeles Friday night.

  • Delta Air Lines flight from Los Angeles to Atlanta was forced to make an emergency landing in Oklahoma City.
  • The reported hijacking attempt happened on Friday night.
  • The suspect, Delta Flight attendant Stephon Jamar Duncan, allegedly said he was going to take the plane down.

A desperate pilot flying a Delta Airlines flight DL 1730, an Airbus A321 from Los Angeles to Atlanta on Friday night made a desperate announcement asking for strong men to come forward for an emergency.

The pilot needed urgent help from passengers to restrain an off-duty flight attendant to prevent an ongoing terror attack. An off-duty pilot and some passengers responded and helped to subdue the suspect after he allegedly assaulted two flight attendants and made terroristic threats.

The suspect was yelling he would bring the plane down.

It all started when the terrorist, an off-duty flight attendant traveling as a passenger on DL 1730 from LAX to ATL instructed passengers to take their seats and get ready to put on an oxygen mask on.

According to Oklahoma City police spokesman, the suspect, Stephon Jamar Duncan, allegedly said he was going to take the plane down.

The reported hijacking attempt happened on Friday night. The Delta Air Lines Airbus A321 with about 200 people on board was somewhere in the middle of its route when the suspect forced his way to the front.

The plane was diverted to the nearest airport in Oklahoma City, where โ€œthe man was handed over to law enforcement,โ€ and โ€œa sweep of the planeโ€ with sniffer dogs was conducted. After that, it proceeded to Atlanta. 

Duncan was arrested and taken to a hospital after reporting chest pains and exhibiting signs of mental health issues, police said.

The incident comes just days after another Delta flight, also from Los Angeles, had to make an emergency landing after one of its passengers allegedly charged the front of the aircraft and attempted to breach the cockpit during the flight.

Delta Flight 386 to Nashville was diverted to Albuquerque, after the man reportedly pounding on the cockpit door and yelling:  โ€œWe need to land this planeโ€. He was restrained. and later charged with interference with flight crew members.

About the author

Avatar of Harry Johnson

Harry Johnson

Harry Johnson has been the assignment editor for eTurboNews for mroe than 20 years. He lives in Honolulu, Hawaii, and is originally from Europe. He enjoys writing and covering the news.

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