Southwest Passenger Climbs Out of Plane, Jumps to Tarmac

A Southwest Airlines passenger was hospitalized for evaluation Sunday night after he opened an emergency hatch on an aircraft, climbed out onto the wing, and jumped down onto the tarmac, authorities say. Witnesses say the man ran across the tarmac at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport and tried to drive away in a service truck before he was stopped, WWL Louisiana reports. The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office says the man was taken to a local hospital for a mental health evaluation.

The sheriff's office says no charges have been filed against the man but federal authorities have been notified, NBC News reports. Sheriff's office spokesman Capt. Jason Rivarde says the plane was still parked at the terminal and hadn't pushed back for takeoff when the 38-year-old man opened the hatch around 7:40pm, the Times-Picayune reports. Southwest Airlines confirmed that had been an "unauthorized deplaning of the aircraft" and said the plane took off for Atlanta after a brief delay. "We commend our flight and ground crews for their swift action and apologize to our customers for their inconvenience," Southwest said. (More unruly passenger stories.)