Overview
- A United Airlines Boeing 737 en route from Chicago to Minneapolis diverted to Dane County Regional Airport after crew reported a security concern on the plane Friday night.
- Off-duty law enforcement and crew members restrained the passenger in flight, and air-traffic-control audio captured crew saying the man made multiple attempts to reach or breach the cockpit.
- The aircraft landed safely at about 9:29 p.m. CDT, no injuries were reported among 147 passengers and six crew, and the flight later continued to Minneapolis.
- Dane County authorities described the detained person as a 75-year-old who appeared confused and in a mental-health crisis, and officials said no criminal charges are expected as the FBI leads the inquiry.
- The incident highlights a recent rise in unruly passenger events that the FAA is tracking and has prompted scrutiny of in-flight response protocols while some unconfirmed reports mentioned use of an emergency transponder code.