A Virgin Australia flight was forced to turn back on Monday night after a passenger ran around the cabin naked and pushed a flight attendant down, according to the Australian Federal Police (AFP).
According to FlightAware, Flight VA696 departed Perth as scheduled and was about an hour en route to Melbourne when the accident occurred, causing the pilot to make a U-turn and return to Perth.
“The crew took appropriate action in accordance with regulations to deal with the disruptive customer,” a Virgin Australia spokesperson said in an emailed statement to USA Today.
AFP officers were called to meet with passengers after the plane landed safely in Perth.
“AFP officers arrested a man who was allegedly running naked around the aircraft mid-flight and slamming a flight attendant to the floor,” an AFP spokesperson said in an email to USA Today.
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The passenger is currently being detained at a local hospital for examination and is due to appear in Perth Magistrates Court on June 14, but the charges he will face have yet to be determined, according to AFP.
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“All of a sudden we heard a sound like a guy running down the aisle. He was naked and he was charging towards the front of the plane,” one passenger on the flight told Guardian Australia, adding that there was “a lot of yelling and screaming.”
“The safety of our passengers and crew is our top priority and we offer our sincere apologies to affected passengers,” the airline said.
The plane headed to Melbourne and landed 28 minutes late.
A troubled passenger whose United Airlines flight was diverted last month after he got into a loud argument with his girlfriend and threatened to “smash up the plane” has been sued for $20,638 in damages.
Kathleen Wong is a Hawaii-based travel writer for USA TODAY. She can be reached at kwong@usatoday.com.
