The pilot of American Airlines flight AA3046, an Airbus A320, alerted air traffic controllers Sunday afternoon that a passenger aboard had bitten another traveler and was attempting to fight crew and other passengers.
“I don’t know … if he’s hallucinating or whatever, but he just bit a passenger and he’s trying to fight everybody,” the pilot said, according to audio of the conversation first obtained by CBS News and subsequently posted online by aviation industry monitors.
The incident occurred on the roughly 90-minute route from Charlotte Douglas International Airport to Philadelphia International Airport. The pilot requested that law enforcement officers and emergency medical technicians meet the aircraft on arrival.
After the control tower acknowledged the request, the pilot replied, “What a day, huh?” The controller responded, “Happy Father’s Day!”
American Airlines told CBS News that the passenger was experiencing a medical emergency and that he was “assisted” before the flight landed. The airline did not confirm whether police were present upon arrival.
The passenger is a male in his 70s, according to the pilot. The airline did not publicly identify the passenger or the bitten traveler.