Man Climbs Onto Wing of Plane As it Prepares for Takeoff

Passengers aboard a flight out of McCarren International in Las Vegas were shocked Saturday to see a man stroll onto the wing of the plane just as it was about to take off. Per the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Alaska Airlines flight 1367 was preparing to depart for Portland when pilots saw a man walk onto the tarmac. From there, passengers watched as the suspect walked along the wing of the Boeing 737 within clear view of their window seats, with some of them recording the incident and posting to social media. Airport spokesman Joe Rajchel told CNN the man got onto the tarmac by hopping a perimeter fence

Pilots called the cops as they watched him approach the plane. How he got onto the wing itself isn't as clear, with one aviation expert saying it may not even be possible to do simply by jumping, according to KTNV. However he did it, the suspect was soon pulled off the wing and taken to a medical facility. “Impairment or mental illness is suspected,” Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Ken Nogle told the Review-Journal. While the plane was taken back to the gate for a full inspection, passengers had to wait. And wait. Originally a 12:30pm flight, the incident delayed its departure at 4:48pm.

(More airport security stories.)