According to View From The Wing on Monday (July 8, 2024), the incident occurred on American Airlines flight 3921, an Embraer E-170 traveling from Chicago O’Hare to Manchester, New Hampshire. The plane had both first-class and economy seating.
It all started when a flight attendant noticed a man emerging from the first-class section. The man was holding his pants.
Suddenly, he began to urinate. Another passenger captured a photo of the man in the act. The flight attendant immediately restrained him in his seat, and the plane was diverted to Buffalo.
After landing, authorities took him to the police station.
The man revealed the reason behind the incident. He admitted to having a penchant for mixing alcohol with soda. Before his flight from Chicago, he had already flown from Portland and consumed too many of these mixed drinks.
During the Chicago to Manchester leg, the 25-year-old man drank several more glasses.
His intoxication caused him to fall asleep briefly. When he woke up, he urgently needed to use the restroom. Unable to hold it, he grabbed his crotch. He confessed to the police that he has an unusual urination problem.
The man was federally charged with indecent exposure. Since the incident occurred on a flight within U.S. jurisdiction, he was charged under the District of Columbia’s criminal law.
The airline suspects that the man was not a first-class passenger. Unfortunately, this is not the first time such an incident has occurred on an American Airlines flight.