A passenger tried to open a plane door in mid-air in the US.

An airplane American Airlines A passenger flying to Chicago had to turn back after trying to open a door mid-flight, US media reported.

In a video that has gone viral on social media since Tuesday afternoon, other passengers can be seen blocking the handle of one of the exit hatches from turning.

The flight took off from Albuquerque in the southwestern part of the United States. Reached a height of almost 8,000 meters According to aerial surveillance data, before turning.

Flight 1219 American Airlines It returned to Albuquerque International Sunport Airport in New Mexico without incident, “after the crew reported a disturbance to a passenger,” the US Civil Aviation Regulatory Agency (FAA) said on its website.

“The FAA is investigating,” he added.

Blaise Ward, one of the passengers, told the ABC that the man “had already lowered the safety mechanism and was holding the lever with both hands”.

“A whistle-like pressure difference,” is already noticeable, he said.

According to FAA statistics, the number of unruly passengers in the United States has risen in recent years, reaching nearly 6,000 incidents in 2021.

That number dropped to about 2,000 incidents in 2022 and 2023.