- Passenger assaulted two flight attendants on Alaska Airlines Flight 1057 from Portland to Dallas
- Flight made emergency landing at Boise Airport due to passenger's erratic behaviour
- Passenger Tracy Barkhimer was restrained and handed to police upon landing
An Alaska Airlines flight was forced into an emergency landing in Idaho at the Boise Airport after a passenger physically assaulted two cabin crew members mid-air. The incident took place on Tuesday (Oct 14) on Flight 1057 bound for Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Texas, after departing from the Portland International Airport, Oregon on time at 11:26 PM local time.
The flight was one hour into its journey when the passenger, identified as Tracy Barkhimer, 61, from White Salmon, Washington, started behaving erratically, according to a report in The Independent. She was restrained until the flight landed and handed over to the police.
"At Alaska Airlines, safety is our number one priority, and we do not tolerate violence of any kind against our employees," the airline said.
"The passenger in question has been banned from flying with us. We are grateful to our crew for their professionalism, and we apologize for any concern or inconvenience this situation caused."
The medics evaluated the flight attendants afterwards and cleared them to fly. The plane was delayed for about 90 minutes.
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Accused Booked
The two flight attendants requested and signed affidavits for Barkhimer's arrest, who was taken into custody and booked into the Ada County Jail.
"She [Barkhimer] was showing erratic behaviour and struck two airline employees who were attempting to calm her down," the Boise Police Department said in a statement.
The accused now faces two counts of misdemeanour battery, according to online jail records. She posted her $600 cash bond and is scheduled to appear in court in early November.
Earlier this week, a JetBlue Airways passenger attempted to open the emergency exit of the plane after mistaking a routine aircraft noise for a mechanical failure. The woman, who claimed her boyfriend was a pilot, was alarmed after hearing the "barking dog" noise that is usual in an A320 aircraft.
The sound that made the woman fidgety is produced by the Power Transfer Unit (PTU), a hydraulic component found on Airbus A320-family aircraft.
