Passenger opens emergency exit door on Southwest Airlines flight and jumps out; sheriff’s office confirms mental health emergency

In the evening of 26 November, a passenger that boarded a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 (registered N8851Q) at New Orleans Louis Armstrong Airport, United States, utilised an emergency exit door to exit the aircraft. The man climbed onto the wing of the parked aircraft and jumped onto the ground causing some uproar among fellow passengers. He was captured by ground staff and held until the arrival of Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office (JPSO) deputies, who later stated that the man suffered a mental health emergency. 

Southwest Airlines apologised to passengers for the inconvenience and scheduled a replacement 737 MAX 8 (registered N8869L) to bring the passengers to Atlanta Airport on flight WN3172, where passengers arrived with a delay of just under two hours. N8851Q was checked by maintenance, and operated delayed flight WN2042 to Tampa.

Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office issued the following press release:

At approximately 7:41 pm yesterday, November 26, 2023, JPSO deputies working an assignment at the Louis Armstrong International Airport were called to the airport’s Concourse B after a passenger utilized an emergency exit door to exit a plane. The plane was stationary and had not departed the gate at the time of the incident. The man climbed onto the wing of the aircraft and jumped to the ground. He was captured near the plane by ground personnel and held until the arrival of deputies.

When deputies made contact with the man, they found he was incoherent and not fully aware of his surroundings. While at least one local media outlet reported the man was arrested, he was actually transported to a local hospital for evaluation as the deputies believed he was suffering from a mental health emergency.?The man remains hospitalized at this time.

There is no indication that the man left anything on the plane, nor was he found in possession of any weapons of any type. He is not expected to face any criminal charges locally, however the investigation has been referred to federal authorities. No one was injured during the incident.

We will not be releasing the man’s identity as he has not been arrested. He is 38 years old, and believed to reside in Atlanta, GA.

The flight was cancelled following the incident. (Note from editor: not cancelled, but rescheduled)