Flight Passenger High On Meth Tried To Enter Cockpit, Plane Diverted

After a Washington man refused to sit down and tried to access the cockpit, a Compass Airlines flight from Seattle to California was diverted to Portland, Oregon, Tuesday.

Douglas B. Smyser, 21, from Bonney Lake, Washington, was held at the Multnomah County Detention Center, following his actions on Compass Air flight 6054. He was charged with menacing and disorderly conduct, which were both state crimes. Apart from these, he was also charged with a federal crime of interfering with a flight crew, the Oregonian reported.

FBI agent Damon Bateson wrote in a criminal complaint that Smyser’s disruptive behavior started even before the flight left the airport. As the plane was taxing on the runway, he reportedly threw his backpack on the aisle, which started to vibrate. It was later revealed there was an electric razor inside his bag which had turned on when it fell on the aisle.

The complaint added that Smyser refused to sit down on his seat for the next 20 to 30 minutes and kept on pacing inside the cabin. He also told one of his co-passengers that someone at the back of the plane was carrying a gun.

The captain and crew "became concerned that Smyser would rush [into] the cockpit” a short while into the flight, which caused the pilot to secure the doors and divert the plane to land at the Portland International Airport. As soon as the plane landed at the airport, the accused tried to approach the cockpit and had to be physically restrained by one of the passengers on the flight.

The Good Samaritan used his body weight to subdue Smyser – who kept flailing his arms – and keep him from exiting the aircraft till FBI agents and the Port of Portland police took him into custody.

According to court documents obtained by ABC-affiliated KOIN 6 News, Smyser was homeless and was a regular user of heroin and meth. He also had previous convictions for alcohol and drugs and was "kicked out to a clean and sober house" in days leading up to the flight. While being taken to a drug rehab home in Malibu, California, the accused admitted he was under the influence of meth while onboard the flight, which made him paranoid and suspicious.

Smyser was scheduled to appear in a federal court Friday afternoon in Portland.

In a similar incident, a Transavia flight, traveling from Paris to Tunis, was forced to divert after a passenger shouted "Allahu Akbar" and tried to enter the cockpit. A video of the incident showed the airline crew wrestling with the passenger while the plane was mid-air, as other passengers whipped out their phones to film the action, shouting at the top of their voices. According to a report, the passenger became angry after he was not allowed to pray on the aisle of the plane.