A Breeze Airways flight from Norfolk, Virginia, to Los Angeles was diverted to Grand Junction, Colorado, on August 14, 2025 after a disruption due to the misbehaviour of a passenger.
Officials reported that the passenger yelled racial slurs at flight attendants and brandished a skateboard.
The situation escalated into a physical altercation with the airline labelled as “level 4 disturbance.” It is considered among the most severe categories for in-flight disruptions.
One of the passengers recorded a video of the incident which shows that the passenger was restrained twice. However, he broke free both times prompting other travellers to help subdue him.
The audio from the Air Traffic Control confirmed that the plane's crew reported an emergency before landing in Colorado. The drunk passenger was then removed from the flight and arrested by local police.
The video shows passengers applauding the crew as he was removed from the aircraft.
The incident resulted in minor injuries to a flight attendant and one passenger.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has initiated an investigation, marking the latest in over 1,000 unruly passenger incidents reported in 2025.
Threatening a flight crew is a federal crime that can impose severe penalties on the unruly passenger, including years in prison and massive fines. The FAA can also impose additional substantial civil penalties.
As per U.S. Code 46504, the federal charge of interfering with a flight crew occurs if a person is involved in flight assaults or threatens any member of the flight’s crew.
It also includes disrupting the duties of the crew members to perform their job in any way. Thus, it is essential to note that it is not necessary for an offense to include a physical assault or threat of assault to affect a crew.
