An American Airlines pilot requested police and medical crews after a passenger allegedly bit another traveler and became combative as the plane approached Philadelphia.
The flight left Charlotte, North Carolina, Sunday morning and landed at Philadelphia International Airport just before 10 a.m. ET.
“I do not know if he is hallucinating or whatever, but he just bit a passenger and he is trying to fight everybody,” the pilot told air traffic control, according to audio cited by CBS News.
An American Airlines pilot requested law enforcement and EMTs upon the flight’s arrival to Philadelphia, on Sunday morning, telling air traffic control that a man on board had bitten a passenger and was “trying to fight everybody.”
“I’ll be sure to tell my daughters about this… pic.twitter.com/nIxcFulYCU
— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 21, 2026
The pilot asked that emergency medical personnel and law enforcement meet the plane “just as a precaution.”
American Airlines said the passenger experienced a medical emergency. A medical professional on board assisted the passenger before the flight landed, and medical personnel met the passenger after arrival.
The airline did not say whether police were present when the plane landed.
The air traffic control exchange ended on a lighter note after a controller wished the pilot a happy Father’s Day.
“I will be sure to tell my daughters about this one,” the pilot said.
The incident adds to a recent string of disruptive passenger episodes on U.S. flights, including a Frontier Airlines flight that diverted to Miami after a passenger allegedly tried to open an exit door mid-flight.
