Passenger charged after Alaska Airlines flight bound for Chicago diverts to KCI
A passenger aboard an Alaska Airlines flight from San Francisco to Chicago was charged in federal court after she allegedly became disruptive and the flight was diverted to Kansas City International Airport for safety, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri.
The U.S. Attorney charged 32-year-old Chloe M. DaSilva, whose residence was not listed, with one count of interfering with a flight crew on the early morning flight Friday. DaSilva remains in federal custody.
According to court documents, DaSilva allegedly became disruptive before Alaska Airlines Flight 456 left the ground. A flight attendant told investigators that during the initial announcements and safety briefing, DaSilva allegedly stood up and asked, “When are we leaving?”
Another flight attendant told investigators that a member of the flight crew noticed DaSilva was “acting odd” during the boarding of the flight and alerted other crew members so they could keep an eye on the area where DaSilva was sitting, according to the charging documents.
Once the flight was airborne, DaSilva told a flight attendant that she couldn’t sit where she was and asked to change seats. The flight, however, was full and it was not possible. DaSilva then went to the lavatory. After about five minutes, the flight crew and passengers heard DaSilva banging on the bathroom door, according to court records.
When members of the flight crew opened the door to check on her, they found DaSilva asleep and decided to leave her in the lavatory for her safety.
Eventually, DaSilva exited the restroom. She walked past her row and then punched an overhead bin and screamed before heading back to her seat. She reportedly calmed down and “acted nicely.” The flight attendants alerted the pilots, who started to coordinate bathroom breaks to prepare for being in the cockpit for a long period, according to court documents.
When the pilots were about to take their breaks, DaSilva allegedly rushed a flight attendant and said she was going to kill him. Meanwhile, some passengers told investigators that the commotion woke them. The flight attendants took DaSilva back to her seat. The captain asked that the flight attendants use zip ties to restrain her, according to court documents.
The captain of the flight told investigators that neither he nor his first officer left the cockpit and decided to divert to Kansas City rather than continuing on to Chicago because of DaSilva’s alleged actions and for concern for the safety of the passengers.
