A Singapore Airlines flight landed back at SFO nine hours after takeoff, cutting short what was supposed to be a 16-hour flight after a passenger became “unruly,” with witnesses claiming he screamed, kicked seats, and tried to open an emergency exit.
Singapore Airlines Flight SQ31 landed back at San Francisco International Airport at approximately 8:40 pm Wednesday after the pilots decided to turn around because of an unruly passenger who injured himself during the flight, as the Strait Times first reported. The plane had departed SFO at 11:51 am for what was supposed to be a roughly 16-hour journey to Singapore.
“A Singapore Airlines customer on board flight SQ31... became unruly and injured himself in the process,” an airline spokesperson told the Singapore Business Times.
A spokesperson said the pilots assessed the situation and decided to return to San Francisco. The airline did not provide details about the passenger's behavior or injuries, but said it was working with authorities to address the incident.
According to a Reddit user who said they were aboard the plane, the passenger began screaming and kicking seats about three hours into the flight and attempted to reach the emergency exit. Another person claiming to have been on the plane also said the passenger tried to pull the exit door open.
“Not sure if he was having a psychotic break or having a bad trip, but he wouldn’t stop yelling and kicking even after being restrained,” the first Reddit user wrote.
Singapore Airlines has not confirmed the claims.
Per the first Reddit user, the FBI and SFPD boarded the plane and arrested the person upon landing.
The other passengers deplaned while the aircraft refueled before departing again for Singapore around 11:20 pm with a new flight crew, which had reportedly been scheduled to travel on the SQ32 flight the following day.
According to the Business Times, the aborted journey lasted about eight hours and 40 minutes, based on flight tracking data from FlightAware, and it traveled well into the North Pacific before turning back toward San Francisco.
Singapore Airlines said it was assisting affected passengers, including those who needed to rebook connecting flights, and apologized for the disruption.
Related: 'Ornery' Passenger Forces SFO-Bound Plane To Make Emergency Landing
