Published: 07:01 BST, 10 August 2026 | Updated: 13:28 BST, 10 August 2026
An Alaska Airlines flight was suddenly grounded after unruly passengers allegedly threatened to take over the aircraft.
The Seattle-bound jet left the gate at Miami International Airport and was taxiing down the runway at 6.40pm on Sunday when the worried pilot contacted Air Traffic Control and alerted authorities they were going into lockdown.
'Ramp, Alaska 305, we have set the parking brake and we have a customer disturbance onboard right now, with threats coming from customers,' the pilot could be heard telling an air traffic controller in audio obtained by ATCapp, an air traffic control tracking service.
'We want to go into a lockdown protocol. We are shutting down the engine and parking brake set.'
Pilots are trained to initiate a lockdown protocol whenever the integrity of the cockpit is being threatened, keeping the cockpit doors shut until the threat is removed.
In an update moments later, he added: 'The flight attendants have received threats from customers onboard the aircraft. The last thing we heard from the flight attendant is that we had a customer threaten to take the aircraft over.'
When the air traffic controller then asked whether the crew needed law enforcement to respond, the pilot replied: 'Absolutely.'
Deputies from the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office Airport District were seen racing to one of the gates.
An Alaska Airlines flight preparing to take off for Seattle from Miami International Airport on Sunday night was suddenly grounded
Air traffic control audio appeared to suggest the flight was stopped after passengers made threats
Alaska Airlines later confirmed two passengers were temporarily banned from the airline.
'This evening at approximately 6.40pm, Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office Airport District deputies responded to one of the gates at Miami International Airport after a flight attendant reported possible suspicious activity,' the sheriff's office told travel news site Paddle Your Own Kanoo.
'Out of an abundance of caution, passengers were temporarily deplaned while deputies investigated the incident.'
Authorities ultimately concluded there was 'no credible threat,' the sheriff's office said and the two passengers involved in the threat were rebooked on another flight.