It all started near a bathroom door on Delta Air Lines flight DL069 headed from Seattle, Wash., to Taipei, Taiwan, last Saturday, March 14. According to reports, that’s where Malcolm Martin allegedly grabbed a flight attendant’s shoulder.
In an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court for Alaska and cited by Alaska’s News Source, investigators said that the flight attendant was eating when Martin tried to grab his attention and ask if the restroom was occupied. Martin also reportedly made “several disrespectful comments,” according to the outlet.
When the restroom became available, Martin used it. However, the argument apparently wasn’t over. Alaska’s News Source reported that Martin went on to use a racial slur and threatened to fight the flight attendant.
“Another flight attendant told investigators the dispute became so intense that passengers moved toward the galley to try to de-escalate the conflict,” the outlet reported. “The second attendant also reported retrieving restraints and stepping between Martin and the first attendant, repeatedly telling Martin to return to his seat, the affidavit said.”
At this point, Martin swung at the second flight attendant but failed to make contact, authorities said. Ultimately, no one was struck during the incident.
Even so, the flight crew took the threats seriously and the disturbance was elevated to a “level three,” as flight DL069 traveled over the Pacific Ocean, two of the pilots told investigators. A level three threat requires locking the cockpit.
Furthermore, the pilots also had to coordinate with Delta Air Lines’ corporate office to calculate “landing procedures for an overweight aircraft carrying fuel intended for the original route, the affidavit said,” Alaska’s New Source reported. They made an emergency landing in Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport in Alaska.
“Per our procedures to ensure the safety and security of our customers and people, an unruly passenger was removed from the flight upon diverting to Anchorage. We apologize to our customers onboard for the delay in their travels and thank them for their patience,” Delta said in a statement cited by Alaska’s News Source.
Once it landed in Anchorage, the plane was reportedly on the ground for around two hours before continuing on to Taipei. In Alaska, authorities detained Martin on the aircraft and spoke to him in a police interview room and he was advised of his rights by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The FBI Anchorage office was notified of the disturbance at 7:25 p.m. last Saturday.
Police also collected several passenger videos of the incident aboard the plane.
“In a brief review, the FBI agent wrote he could see Martin at the galley entrance exchanging heated words, but he did not observe a lunge or swing in the portions he reviewed,” Alaska’s News Source said.
Martin was arrested on a federal charge of interfering with flight crew members and attendants and booked into the Anchorage Correctional Complex, per the affidavit. That charge could result in a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, it said.
Unruly passenger incidents hit a peak in March 2021 and have since gone down, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. However, incidents have still been making headlines. Last August, Audacy reported on another incident regarding a passenger who yelled racist slurs – a man who was reportedly drunk on a flight from Norfolk, Va., to Los Angeles, Calif., that had to make an emergency landing in Colorado.