An unruly passenger was forcibly restrained by fellow passengers after trying to open the plane’s emergency door before landing on a Copa Airlines flight from Brazil to Panama.
A video capturing the chaos has gone viral on X, showing the moments passengers took matters into their own hands to prevent what could have been a mid-air disaster.
According to reports in the New York Post, the flight was operating smoothly until about 30 minutes before landing, when the man grabbed a plastic knife from his food tray and charged toward the back of the plane.
He then attempted to hold the flight attendant hostage, demanding access to the emergency door. Witness and photojournalist Cristiano Carvalho, 51, who recorded parts of the incident, described the chaos. “One of the flight attendants started screaming, and the other one tried to hold him, but couldn’t because he was too strong,” he said.
Carvalho recalled moments when the passenger ignored the warnings and tried to get to the back emergency exit. “He went to the back emergency door after the warning. Then he started moving forward and trying to open it,” he said. At this point, the passengers intervened, wrestling the man to the ground in a desperate attempt to avoid the danger.
Copa Airlines flight CM204, en route from Brasilia to Panama City on Tuesday morning, reportedly suffered a disturbance. Additional footage captured the arrival of military officers who boarded the plane upon landing, detaining the man in handcuffs, his face bloodied from the struggle.
Copa Airlines later confirmed in a statement that after landing in Panama, “a national security team entered the aircraft and removed the passenger and took him to judicial authorities.” The airline also praised the quick action of the crew and passengers, saying security protocols were immediately put in place to protect everyone on board.
“Thanks to the professionalism of the crew, the flight and passengers were safe,” a spokesman said.