Armed police swarmed the American Airlines plane once it completed an emergency landing
An odd banging sound was heard mid-flight on an American Airlines flight, causing the plane to turn around and make an emergency landing.
American Airlines Flight 954 departed Buenos Aires, Argentina at 9.15 am on Thursday (31 October) and was New York bound when passengers and crew heard some harrowing banging noises, while cruising at 30,000 feet.
It was reported that the plane was rerouted back to its starting point at Ezeiza International Airport, in the Argentinian capital.
Police greeted the horrified passengers once the plane touched down (X/nanudandrea)
Travellers were then greeted by several armed police officers, who swarmed the plane as it landed back in the South American nation.
Footage from passengers revealed the bizarre ordeal, as flight attendants and passengers reported a ‘pounding noise’ coming from the cargo hold, almost as if somebody was trapped in there, the Daily Mail reports.
It could not be checked in the air, as the cargo hold is sealed at this time.
Travellers were told by the pilot that the reason for the rerouting was because of an undisclosed problem, but later admitted that someone could be stuck in the cargo.
Police back on the ground aimed to find the trapped individual, as the Special Tactical Assault Group, the Explosives and Special Weapons Control Group and the Canine Technology Binomial were also called upon to assist in the search.
As well as this, the National Civil Aviation Administration and PFA firefighters and health also attended the scene.
However, after a long and detailed investigation, it was found that there wasn’t any danger and nobody was trapped in the cargo hold, as it was concluded that there were ‘negative results.
Local emergency services stated: “The hold was opened and the unloading of the luggage containers began, without anything outside the normal parameters being seen at the time.”
The plane had to complete a U-turn to land back at its starting point (Flight Radar 24)
Following this news, the flight was cancelled, though only because the cabin crew had exceeded the hours that they could keep on working for.
American Airlines released a statement on X the next day (1 November), confirming that there was no problem on board.
It said: “Reports of a person in cargo are not accurate.
“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 issue. Our customers will be re-departing later today and we apologize for the inconvenience.”
It’s no surprise that passengers felt annoyed by the situation, spending hours onboard without being told what was going on.
Flight 954 was eventually rescheduled, but the mystery surrounding the ‘banging noise’ heard by those onboard was never solved.
American Airlines said in a statement to The Mirror: “Safety is our top priority and we thank our crew members for their professionalism and our customers for their understanding.”
LADbible has contacted American Airlines for a comment.
Featured Image Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images/X/nanudandrea
