MORRISVILLE, N.C. (WNCN) — A disruptive passenger caused a flight from Jacksonville to divert to Raleigh-Durham International Airport Wednesday afternoon, according to the airport.
On Wednesday afternoon shortly after 3 p.m., the FAA issued all planes at RDU to a ground stop. Air traffic resumed shortly after 4:20 p.m.
The airport said at 3:41 p.m., American Airlines flight 3444 departing from Jacksonville, Florida, diverted to RDU due to a disruptive passenger. The flight was heading to Washington, D.C.
According to FlightAware, the plane initially diverted from Jacksonville to Charlotte Douglas International Airport at 2:32 p.m. before diverting again to RDU.
After landing at 3:41 p.m., the plane was directed to gate C9 where law enforcement boarded the aircraft and took the suspect into custody.
The plane was cleared to resume its flight to Washington, D.C. and RDU has since returned to normal operations.
The FBI Charlotte Field Office responded to the Raleigh-Durham Airport on February 22, 2023, after a flight from Jacksonville to Washington, DC, was diverted due to a disruptive passenger. The FBI is currently conducting interviews to gather the facts and will consult with the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of North Carolina to determine if federal charges will be filed.
FBI Charlotte
According to FlightAware, the flight to Washington D.C. was canceled and was renamed flight 9863 and it departed at 5:49 p.m.
Additionally, American Airlines said all passengers on the canceled flight were accommodated to other flights, presumed to be flight 9863, among others. American Airlines also has a flight that travels from RDU to DCA every day at 5:40: No. 4344.
