Disruptive Passenger Taken Into Custody After Arrival at National

A passenger on a flight arriving at Reagan National Airport last night was taken into custody in connection with a disruption aboard the plane, an airport spokeswoman said.

The incident occurred as Northwest Airlines Flight 226 was arriving from Detroit about 8:30 p.m., authorities said.

No injuries were reported, and there was no indication of any damage to the airplane, according to authorities.

A man who was riding in the coach section of the airplane said that about the time the jetliner touched down at National, he heard a brief shout from the first-class area at the front of the plane.

An announcement then came over the public-address system asking passengers to remain in their seats when the plane reached the terminal. Passengers were told that authorities would be boarding.

After the plane reached the gate, four police officers entered the cabin and "yanked the guy" out of the first-class cabin, the witness said.

Airport spokeswoman Courtney Mickalonis said a man was arrested after the flight crew asked for police to deal with a passenger.

She said the nature of the disruption was not immediately clear last night. However, she said it appeared to involve statements made by the passenger. She said authorities were looking into whether alcohol played a role.

Police were interviewing witnesses last night, and the man was to be taken before an Arlington County magistrate, she said.

He was not identified.

"A passenger was disruptive, and upon arrival he was arrested," said Carlos Santos, a corporate spokesman for Delta Airlines. Northwest is a subsidiary of Delta. Santos said he could provide few other details.

Fellow passengers appeared curious but not disturbed by the incident, the witness said.

"Nobody appeared too upset," he said.