Pilot Makes An In Flight U-Turn Due To Worker Being Stuck In Cargo Hold

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The worker (seen in blue) that fell asleep in the planes cargo hold walks towards an ambulance after being rescued from the compartment.

 

A Los Angeles-bound Alaska Airlines flight was forced to return to Seattle’s airport Monday afternoon after an airport worker fell asleep and became trapped in the cargo hold.  The worker is one of four baggage handlers that are responsible for putting passengers luggage into the cargo holding area underneath the plane.  The workers shift leader noticed one of the employee’s was missing and tried calling and texting the workers phone, but there was no response.

The flight had departed and was en-route when the pilot heard a strange noise coming from the cargo hold.  The pilot radioed the control tower : “I think we’re hearing a noise from the baggage compartment,” the pilot said, according to KCPQ. “Might be a person in there, so we’re going to have to come back around.”

Once the plane landing back at the airport, low and behold there was in fact an employee stuck in the compartment. “Upon exiting, he told authorities he had fallen asleep,” the airline said.

The man, an employee of Alaska contractor Menzies Aviation, walked off the plane. He was initially checked by medics at the airport and found to be unhurt, airport spokesman Perry Cooper said.

Now that is one heavy sleeper!