Somewhere between Dallas and Newark, at cruising altitude and far from any ground-level recourse, the fragile social contract that makes mass flight possible was tested and nearly broken. A first-class passenger descended into violence on American Airlines flight 618 on September 3, striking fellow travelers and crew before two men — one a retired officer, one an ordinary civilian — chose to stand up and hold the line, literally, with zip ties and duct tape. The incident, which forced an emergency landing in Baltimore, arrives as aviation authorities count more than a thousand such disruptions
Passenger duct-taped to seat after violent rampage on American Airlines flight
Multiple passengers were physically assaulted, including a woman who intervened and a flight attendant; the restrained passenger bit one of his restrainers.