Alaska Airlines has banned the baggage handler who fell asleep in the cargo hold of Flight 448, causing the plane to conduct an emergency landing.

Listen To 911 Call From Ramp Agent Who Woke Up In Cargo Hold

On Monday, a ramp agent who has not been named to the public, reportedly fell asleep while loading the cargo hold of Flight 448 and awoke to find himself stuck in the cargo hold mid-air on his way from Seattle to Los Angeles. The baggage handler immediately called 911 to report on his predicament, but he had trouble communicating his situation to the operator, who didn’t understand that he was trapped inside a plane.

“I’m inside the plane. I feel like it’s moving in the air…Flight 448. Can you please tell somebody to stop it?” the man is heard telling the operator.

“It was nothing but pitch black and a loud noise. So I was scared, and I didn’t know what was going on,” the man later told ABC News.

According to the airline and the baggage handler, after his 911 call was disconnected, the man banged on the ceiling and called for help, getting through to the pilot and a few of the passengers on board. “When bags started moving and I heard the sound of the engine, I had to think fast about what to do for me to get out,” he added.

Once they were alerted to the problem, the pilots changed course and returned to land at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport after about 14 minutes of flight.

“There could be a person in there, so we’re going to come back around,” the pilot warned air traffic control before changing course.

Employee Passed Drug Test

Alaska Airlines released a statement saying that the agent, employed by Menzies Aviation, a contractor, and not Alaska Airlines, was given a clean bill of health and passed a drug test, suggesting his untimely nap was, truly, an accident. That said, the airline has banned the employee from working on any future flights. Alaska Airlines announced on Thursday, “The Menzies Aviation ramp agent has been permanently banned from ever working on any Alaska Airlines flights.”

The incident caused many to question the security of the airline and airport, but Akaska Airlines tried to stem the concerns, noting, “All ramp employees have security badges. They undergo full criminal background checks and drug screening prior to being hired. They are also subjected to random drug tests throughout their employment.”

The employee was at the end of his shift when the incident occurred – his workday started at 5 a.m. and was set to end at 2:30 p.m., which was when he was helping load baggage onto Flight 448. According to reports, his coworkers noticed he was missing as they finished loading the plane, but he did not answer when they called into the cargo hold, nor did he pick up his phone when they called. Because it was the end of his shift, the other employees believed he had gone home.

The employee has reportedly been put on administrative duties as the airline continues to investigate the incident.

Article by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Olivia Truffaut-Wong was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where she developed her love of all things entertainment. After moving to New York City to earn her degree in Film Studies, she stayed on the East Coast to follow her passion and become an entertainment writer. She lives on a diet of television, movies and food.