Drunk Utah Man Forces Emergency Plane Landing in Oklahoma, Officials Say

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A Utah man’s drunken tirade forced a Delta flight bound for Orlando to stop in Oklahoma City early Saturday morning.

Investigators say the unruly passenger got violent after several shots of whiskey.

28-year-old Jason Maas was on the red-eye to Florida, but ultimately he landed in jail where officers say he continued his “buffoonery”.

“He had had a lot to drink,” said Msgt. Gary Knight with the Oklahoma City Police Department.

Witnesses say Maas was intoxicated before stepping on board. They say he pleaded with flight attendants for more drinks, saying it would keep him calm and help him go to sleep.

But when they cut him off, the crew told police he became aggressive and belligerent.

“It was a profanity-laced tirade he went on.”

Airport officials in Oklahoma say they see a few diversions for various reasons, usually weather, but they’ve never seen anything quite like this.

“Unruly passengers, though, are really pretty rare,” said Karen Carney a spokesperson for the Will Rogers World Airport.

Passengers onboard say Maas began calling the flight attendant names, and then got physical.

“And then at one point he actually headbutted one of the flight attendants, a male flight attendant. A fight ensued between flight attendants, some of the passengers and the disruptive passenger,” Knight said.

The flight was just outside of Oklahoma City when the pilot decided to land.

When police arrived, they say, they found Maas handcuffed with zip ties.

The airline released a statement saying in part:

“Delta applauds the quick action and professionalism of the crew of Delta flight 2603… The safety and security of our customers and crew are always Delta`s top priority.”

Police booked Maas into the Oklahoma County Jail on public drinking charges.

He’s also under investigation by Homeland security and the F.B.I.

The plane landed in Florida two hours later than schedule.