FAA investigating after a passenger tried to open cabin door on regional jet, forcing an emergency landing | CNN

Washington —

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating after a passenger tried to open the cabin door and led a regional jet to make an emergency landing on Tuesday.

United Airlines Flight 3989, operated by Mesa Airlines, landed back in Indianapolis after being in the air for just 15 minutes, according to tracking site FlightAware.com. The flight was heading to Houston.

“We have a belligerent passenger trying to open the cabin door,” the pilot told air traffic controllers in audio recorded by ATC.com. “We have passengers trying to get him secured in a seat right now.”

The Embraer 175 regional jet landed safely and taxied to the gate, where the disruptive passenger was deplaned, a spokesperson for Mesa Airlines told CNN.