Mystery banging sound heard onboard American Airlines flight sparks emergency landing
A mysterious thumping sound heard while an American Airlines flight was in the air led to an emergency landing.
Flight 954 had departed Buenos Aires at 9:15 a.m. Thursday and was headed to New York when passengers and crew heard a strange noise while 30,000 feet in the air.
The aircraft was abruptly diverted back to its take-off destination at Ezeiza International Airport, Express USA reported.
The chilling incident prompted armed police officers to swarm the plane upon its return to Buenos Aires.
The situation was all captured on dramatic footage taken by the flight’s passengers.
One traveler called the ordeal “unusual” and something that “seemed straight out of a movie.”
American Airlines Flight 954 made an emergency landing in Buenos Aires after a mysterious banging sound was heard from the cargo hold while at 30,000 feet
The chilling incident led to armed officers storming the cargo hold upon their return, all of which was captured on dramatic video footage
Another woman who witnessed the incident called it “scary.”
Flight attendants and some passengers reported hearing a banging sound from the vessel’s cargo hold, as if someone was stuck and trying to call for help.
The cargo hold – which is locked and inaccessible while the aircraft is in the air – is a space used for the carriage of luggage, not live cargo.
The pilot initially announced to travelers that the flight would return due to a problem, but later revealed that a person may have been trapped in the hold.
Once the plane landed, armed police officers swarmed the plane, ready to storm the area and locate the captured person.
The Special Tactical Assault Group, the Explosives and Special Weapons Control Group and the Canine Technology Binomial were also deployed to tackle the situation.
Additional hands from the National Civil Aviation Administration, PFA firefighters and healthcare were also involved in the operation.
But after a thorough inspection it was concluded that there was no danger and that no one was trapped in the cargo hold.
The plane flew from Buenos Aires, Argentina to New York, but abruptly turned back shortly after takeoff due to concerns that someone was trapped in the cargo hold.
American Airlines went to X on Friday to confirm there was no problem with the plane after a thorough investigation led to ‘negative results’ (stock photo)
The study led to ‘negative results’.
“The hold was opened and unloading of the baggage containers began, with nothing outside normal parameters observed at that time,” emergency services said.
The flight was eventually canceled, but due to crew overdue, employees had exceeded the hours they could continue to work.
On Friday, American Airlines went to
‘Flight 954 returned to Buenos Aires due to a reported noise in the cargo hold, but after a thorough search it was determined there was no problem. Our customers will be leaving again later today and we apologize for any inconvenience.”
But passengers became frustrated with the airline after spending hours on board the plane before hearing official news about what was happening.
The flight was later rescheduled, but the cause of the mysterious noise is still unknown.
In a statement to The mirrorAmerican Airlines said, “Safety is our top priority and we thank our crew members for their professionalism and our customers for their understanding.”