United Airlines passenger tries to open plane door at 36,000 feet, assaulted traveler on flight from Newark
A United Airlines passenger attempted to open a plane door at 36,000 feet and assaulted another traveler during a flight from Newark to Guatemala City. The incident forced the pilots to make an emergency landing at Washington Dulles Airport. The flight was canceled, and passengers were provided with accommodations for the night.
- ▪The incident occurred on United flight 1551, which had 145 passengers and six crew members on board.
- ▪The plane made an emergency landing less than two hours after takeoff due to the unruly behavior of a passenger.
- ▪The Federal Aviation Administration has reported a total of 608 unruly passenger incidents this year.
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Metro United Airlines passenger tries to open plane door at 36,000 feet, assaulted traveler on flight from Newark By Chris Bradford Published May 22, 2026, 5:51 a.m. ET See more of our coverage in your search results. Add The New York Post on Google An unruly United Airlines passenger allegedly tried to open one of the plane’s doors at a height of 36,000 feet and assaulted another traveler after the jet had taken off from Newark Liberty International Airport. Pilots aboard United 1551, which was bound for Guatemala City, were forced to make an emergency landing in Washington Dulles on Thursday night, according to FlightAware data. The Boeing 737 Max 8 plane, which had 145 passengers and six crew on board, departed Newark at 6:46 p.m.
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