Delta flight 2557, a Boeing 717 aircraft, had just taken off from Houston’s Hobby Airport when the pilot declared an emergency. Eighty-five passengers and five crew members were on board, according to Delta.
“We had a passenger get up and try to access the cockpit,” the pilot can be heard in a radio recording with air traffic control captured by Broadcastify. “Can you coordinate and have security standing by?”
After confirming the cockpit was secure, he requested police and paramedics meet the plane when it landed.
“(He is) in cuffs in the back of the aircraft, but he did assault another passenger, so we would like that other passenger checked out,” the pilot told air traffic control.
In 2025, there were 1,621 unruly passengers reported to the Federal Aviation Administration. So far, in 2026, there have been 126.
Wednesday, the plane signaled an emergency using its transponder and landed back at Hobby Airport about 17 minutes after taking off. Emergency vehicles accompanied the plane to the gate.
