A woman was in first class when a flight attendant denied her a drink and she became so irate and caused such turmoil that the pilot diverted a Florida flight to North Carolina on Wednesday afternoon.
Envoy Air’s flight crew accused Tiffany Miles of charging at the cockpit’s door during American Eagle Flight 3444 from Jacksonville to Washington, D.C.
Miles told WRAL on Thursday that she was not trying to breach the cockpit. She said she felt anxious and her intention after an argument with a flight attendant was to go to the restroom.
“Sometimes I need a cocktail to cool off and calm down,” Miles said adding that it was all a misunderstanding because she was “freaking out” and felt like she was being attacked.
The pilot decided to divert the flight and land at Raleigh-Durham International Airport. Kara Rosario, a passenger on the flight, said the crew alerted passengers of a lockdown and she too felt panic and frustration.
“One person’s actions can really turn a whole plane’s travel and their day upside down,” Rosario told the Raleigh ABC News.
The Federal Aviation Administration considers an attempted cockpit breach a Level Four incident, so even Pete Buttigieg, the secretary of transportation, acknowledged the incident on Twitter.
Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority Police Department officers arrested Miles and she was facing a misdemeanor airport obstruction charge in Wake County District Court.
Afternoon report