Shocking video shows passenger seat kicking and tray table crushing on United Airlines flight

Last updated:Nov 29, 2024 09:08 IST

Although the situation during the flight caused a stir, the reason behind his erratic actions remains unknown.

The passenger has been banned from future United Airlines flights. (Photo credits:

In a shocking incident aboard a United Airlines flight bound for Los Angeles on November 16, a passenger had a violent outburst in mid-air. Viral videos from the flight show the man wreaking havoc on the plane as other passengers tried to intervene and restrain him. Although the situation caused a stir, the reason behind his erratic actions remains unknown.

On board United Airlines Flight 502, with 76 passengers and five crew members on board, chaos ensued when a man suddenly climbed onto a seat and began kicking the back of another seat with enough force to topple it over. The outburst continued as the man repeatedly stomped his foot on the chair before jumping onto the chair in an apparent attempt to dismantle it.

Not only that, another video also shows the passenger destroying a plastic tray. One of his fellow passengers, Gino Galofaro, who captured the incident on camera, spoke to a local TV station and recounted how he and several others stood up together to restrain the man when they saw the flight attendant doing nothing. “I shot that video really quickly and I saw the flight attendant walking by and not doing anything. No one on the plane did anything. So I got up and went to restrain him. Two other bystanders were given zip ties by the flight attendant,” he told USA Today.

Galofaro and others had to use zip ties to restrain the man and then tie him to a chair.

Later, United Airlines confirmed in a statement that the disruptive activities took place on November 16, when local police had to intervene after the flight landed at Los Angeles International Airport. The airline thanked the flight crew for addressing the situation and ensuring everyone’s safety and confirmed that the passenger in question would not be allowed to travel on future United flights.

Notably, the incident took place just weeks after another violent passenger was caught assaulting a fellow passenger on the same airline’s flight. Earlier this month, a 44-year-old man named Everett Chal Nelson was accused of pulling over into a random seat and punching a sleeping passenger in the face until he started bleeding.

The unknown victim suffered serious injuries to his nose and bruises to his eyes.