On Sunday, an anxious Alaska Airlines passenger opened the emergency door and climbed onto the wing, stranding herself there.
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Flight 323 was traveling from Milwaukee to Seattle when a passenger experienced an anxiety episode of some kind. This was around 5 pm, and thankfully, the plane had already landed at its destination of Seattle. It seems that the anxious flier literally couldn't be on the plane a second longer.
KIRO 7 was told by a spokesperson for the Port of Seattle that, "During deplaning of the aircraft a passenger on board became anxious and opened the emergency exit over the wing."
Then, "The woman climbed out onto the wing."
Anxiety-induced episodes can cause people's fight or flight to trigger, which can make for some unpredictable and dangerous moments. The flight is lucky her episode didn't trigger earlier in the flight.
The woman clung onto the wing of the plane, with no way down. Going back inside the plane wasn't an option for her, so emergency services were called.
The spokesperson said that firefighters managed to arrive and retrieve the woman from the wing of the plane. A police crisis team then determined the woman needed to undergo a medical evaluation. The results of the hospital visit are unknown.
Alaska Airlines has stated that the "disruptive guest" was dealt with safely.
Airplane Passenger Couldn't Hold On Any Longer
The airline told the outlet "We are working with our crew and airport officials to gather more details about what may have transpired."
"We thank our employees for their swift response and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused our guests," they added.
This incident has been met with some skepticism online due to the strangeness of the passenger not being able to hold on for only minutes longer to be set free from the plane. However, when someone is beset by an anxiety attack or severe claustrophobia, one's instincts tend to take over.
It's fortunate that the woman managed to hold off for so long and wasn't triggered much earlier in the flight. She may want to stay grounded for the foreseeable future, however.
