Ladies and gentlemen, I am your captain and I've locked myself out the cockpit! Moment Delta Air Lines pilot addressed passengers as his co-pilot made an emergency landing
- Captain left the cockpit during the flight leaving the first officer in charge
- He was unable to return to the controls after the cockpit door jammed
- The first officer took the controls and landed the plane from his seat
- Las Vegas airport was alerted and prepared a ground response
This is the moment a Delta Air Lines pilot told passengers the first officer would be making an emergency landing because he had been locked out of the cockpit.
He stood up and calmly addressed the cabin during a flight from Minneapolis to Las Vegas on Thursday after the door malfunctioned.
After taking a bathroom break, he tried to return to the controls but couldn't get back in, prompting the crew to make a distress call to McCarran International Airport.
Announcement: This is the moment a Delta Air Lines pilot told passengers on a flight from Minneapolis to Las Vegas the first officer would be making an emergency landing because he had been locked out of the cockpit
Composed: He stood up and calmly addressed the cabin during a flight from Minneapolis to Las Vegas after the door malfunctioned
When the co-pilot landed 'perfectly', the 168 passengers on board broke out into applause.
Curry Russell who recorded the video said the situation was 'pretty crazy' but 'pretty exciting'.
Another passenger, Jesse Dougherty, told ABC News: 'About half way through [the 2.5-hour flight] there seemed to be some talking at the front of the plane. You could see the captain out there,'
'There wasn't a huge panic but some confusion.'
The plane's first officer was forced to make an 'unassisted landing' and did so successfully at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas; those on board were said to have applauded as the plane landed
No one was injured in the emergency landing, which took place at McCarran International Airport at around 12.25pm.
The first officer landed the Md-90 aircraft using the controls at his seat as he was more familiar with the layout.
However, the first officer's seat doesn't allow access to the plane's taxi controls so the aircraft had to be towed from the runway to the gate, according to passenger Dougherty.
Airport spokesman Christine Crews said the first officer completed an 'unassisted landing' which was taken 'very seriously'.
She said: 'This was an unusual landing. He called the airport so that we would have ground response available.'
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