Passenger arrested after allegedly trying to open exit door on SkyWest flight

Mario Nikprelaj, 23, was arrested after the plane was safely diverted to Iowa.

ByClara McMichael, Ayesha Ali, and Meredith Deliso

By The Numbers: How is U.S. addressing air travel safety?

By The Numbers: How is U.S. addressing air travel safety?A look at the numbers behind the Boeing 787’s safety record in U.S. flights and how air safety is being addressed here, with heightened travel concerns after the model’s first deadly crash.

KCRG

A SkyWest plane was diverted midflight after a passenger allegedly tried to open the plane’s emergency exit door and got into a fight with a flight attendant attempting to stop him, according to a federal complaint filed Friday.

The suspect — a 23-year-old man from Nebraska — was arrested after the Detroit-bound flight safely landed in Iowa, authorities said.

SkyWest Flight 3612 was diverted to Cedar Rapids on Thursday evening due to an “unruly” passenger, the airline said.

The Cedar Rapids Police Department identified the arrested passenger as Mario Nikprelaj.

He initially faced multiple state charges in connection with the alleged incident, making his first court appearance earlier Friday in Linn County. Local prosecutors have since moved to drop the charges upon learning Nikprelaj will be facing federal charges, according to court filings. A judge subsequently approved the motion, dismissing the state case, according to court filings.

The federal complaint seeks to charge him with interference with flight crew members and attendants.

According to the complaint, a flight attendant notified the captain of an “unruly passenger” before the aircraft left the gate in Omaha, Nebraska, though the flight crew was able to “satisfactorily control the situation” and the plane departed.

MORE: ‘Combative’ man restrained by fellow passengers on Frontier Airlines flight after breaking window

Approximately 20 miles outside of Cedar Rapids, the flight attendant made an emergency call to the captain “and advised Nikprelaj was attempting to open the aircraft’s emergency exit door,” the complaint stated.

The captain then made an emergency call to air traffic control at the Eastern Iowa Airport notifying them of the emergency landing, according to the complaint.

Five minutes later, a second flight attendant advised the captain that the suspect was “still attempting to open the emergency exit door and was fighting” with the first flight attendant, the complaint said.

On air traffic control audio, the pilot can be heard saying that the passenger was “in a fight with a flight attendant right now, trying to open the emergency exit.”

The flight attendant involved in the alleged fight told federal authorities that, while attempting to stop the suspect from opening the emergency door, Nikprelaj “pushed and threatened to kill” the crew member, according to the complaint.

Three passengers helped the flight attendants subdue Nikprelaj, after the captain put out a call instructing any willing passengers to assist, and the flight landed approximately 15 minutes later, according to the complaint.

The flight was met by law enforcement officials upon landing and the passenger was arrested and transported to Linn County Correctional Center, police said.

Nikprelaj remains in custody in Linn County on a federal hold, online jail records show. Online court records do not list any attorney information. He is scheduled to make his first appearance on the complaint on Tuesday in Cedar Rapids federal court, according to online records.

“The FBI takes threats to aviation seriously and we work with our partners to address crimes occurring on commercial aircraft that endanger the safety of passengers, flight crews, and flight attendants,” the FBI said in a statement.

The investigation into the incident is ongoing, the FBI said.

MORE: Video Unruly plane passenger tried to open emergency door, officials say

The flight had 67 passengers and four crew members on board.

After being diverted to Cedar Rapids, the suspect was captured on video being escorted off the plane by police.

The flight continued to its destination, SkyWest confirmed to ABC News.

“SkyWest has zero tolerance for unruly behavior as safety for our customers and crew is our top priority,” the airline said in a statement.

Plane makes emergency landing in Iowa after passenger tries to open door during flight, police say

A plane made an emergency landing in Iowa after Mario Nikprelaj tried to open a door during a SkyWest flight from Omaha to Detroit, police said.

A plane made an emergency landing in Iowa after Mario Nikprelaj tried to open a door during a SkyWest flight from Omaha to Detroit, police said.

A regional jet made an emergency landing in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Thursday evening after a passenger tried to open an emergency exit door and got into an altercation with a flight attendant.

Delta Connection flight 3612, operated by SkyWest Airlines, was flying from Omaha to Detroit when the disturbance happened around 7 p.m. local time, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.

A passenger was “in a fight with our flight attendant right now, trying to open the emergency exit,” the pilot radioed the tower at Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids, according to a recording by the website LiveATC.net.

The passenger did not get the door open and the plane landed safely and taxied to the gate.

Video posted to social media by a passenger showed law enforcement escorting a man off the plane with his hands restrained behind his back.

Police charged 23-year-old Mario Nikprelaj, of Nebraska with five counts, including threatening and shoving a flight attendant, disorderly conduct as well as two drug charges related to 41 ofpills Alprazolam, commonly known as Xanax, which he had with him.

He appeared in court Friday where a judge set his bond at $10,000. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney.

“SkyWest has zero tolerance for unruly behavior as safety for our customers and crew is our top priority,” the airline said in a statement.

So far this year there have been more than 870 reports of unruly passengers on planes in the US, according to FAA data. Potential penalties include jail time, fines and travel restrictions.

CNN’s Carol Alvardo and Kara Devlin contributed to this report.

Plane makes emergency landing in Iowa after passenger tries to open door during flight, police say

A plane made an emergency landing in Iowa after Mario Nikprelaj tried to open a door during a SkyWest flight from Omaha to Detroit, police said.

A plane made an emergency landing in Iowa after Mario Nikprelaj tried to open a door during a SkyWest flight from Omaha to Detroit, police said.

A regional jet made an emergency landing in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Thursday evening after a passenger tried to open an emergency exit door and got into an altercation with a flight attendant.

Delta Connection flight 3612, operated by SkyWest Airlines, was flying from Omaha to Detroit when the disturbance happened around 7 p.m. local time, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.

A passenger was “in a fight with our flight attendant right now, trying to open the emergency exit,” the pilot radioed the tower at Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids, according to a recording by the website LiveATC.net.

The passenger did not get the door open and the plane landed safely and taxied to the gate.

Video posted to social media by a passenger showed law enforcement escorting a man off the plane with his hands restrained behind his back.

Police charged 23-year-old Mario Nikprelaj, of Nebraska with five counts, including threatening and shoving a flight attendant, disorderly conduct as well as two drug charges related to 41 ofpills Alprazolam, commonly known as Xanax, which he had with him.

He appeared in court Friday where a judge set his bond at $10,000. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney.

“SkyWest has zero tolerance for unruly behavior as safety for our customers and crew is our top priority,” the airline said in a statement.

So far this year there have been more than 870 reports of unruly passengers on planes in the US, according to FAA data. Potential penalties include jail time, fines and travel restrictions.

CNN’s Carol Alvardo and Kara Devlin contributed to this report.