Southwest Passenger Jumps Out of Plane’s Emergency Exit
The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office said the aircraft was still at the gate at the time of the incident.

Mike Blake/Reuters
A Southwest Airlines passenger was arrested late Sunday night after opening the Boeing 737’s emergency exit, jumping down from the wing, and attempting to flee in a service truck on the tarmac at Louis Armstrong Airport in New Orleans, according to witnesses. The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office stated that the aircraft was still at the gate at the time of the incident and said the man was transported to a nearby hospital for evaluation. 4WWL reported that the identity of the passenger had not been released and no criminal charges had been filed as of Monday morning. The news station also showed photos of the emergency door being opened and the man being handcuffed by two cops on the tarmac. In a statement to Newsweek, a spokesperson for Southwest thanked “flight and ground crews for their swift action.”
A Passenger has been arrested after escaping through emergency hatch on Southwest Airlines flight WN3172 operated by a Boeing 737 MAX 8 at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) earlier today.
— FL360aero (@fl360aero) November 27, 2023
🎥 ZED#flight #passenger #aviation pic.twitter.com/Kbcf0XjQV3
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.