Man Arrested At Las Vegas Airport For Climbing Onto The Wing Of Alaska Airlines Plane

A flight taking off from McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas was grounded before takeoff on Saturday after a man managed to climb onto the wing.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said that Alejandro Carlson, 41, ran onto the tarmac about 1:30 p.m. and climbed onto the wing of an Alaska Airlines plane headed to Portland, Oregon.

In a statement, the airline said the plane’s pilot noticed a man running toward the airplane and immediately radioed the control tower for help, ABC News reports.

“Our first reaction was, ‘Uhhh, who is this guy? Is this a terrorist type of activity?'” passenger Erin Evans said to ABC News. 

After about 45 minutes, officers used the emergency exits to get onto the wing. Once they approached the man, he walked toward the edge of the wing and fell off. Once on the ground, he was apprehended by officials.

The Associated Press reports that police said the man appeared to be impaired.

Carlson was booked into Clark County Jail for trespassing and disregard for public safety.

WTH did I just witness… #alaskaairlines #alaskaflight1367 #lasvegas #lasvegasairport pic.twitter.com/vdXsDrrU44

— ErinInWA (@ErinInWA) December 13, 2020