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Guy jumps fence at ATL and tries to board a plane. This is comical.
A partially clothed man breaches security at Atlanta airport and attempts to board a taxiing aircraft.
Summary
A security breach at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport involves a man in his underwear jumping a perimeter fence and running onto the airfield. The intruder climbed onto the wing of a taxiing Delta MD-88 and attempted to force his way inside through an emergency exit. This recording captures the confusion of the flight crew and the subsequent ground stop as police apprehended the individual.
Analysis
This incident is notable for its sheer absurdity and the serious security breach it represents at one of the world's busiest airports. The recording begins with the crew of Delta 192 reporting what they initially believe is a passenger who has opened an over-wing exit to jump out of the plane. However, as the situation unfolds, the pilot realizes the individual actually came from the outside and was trying to force his way into the aircraft. The intruder, described as being "mostly naked" (later clarified as wearing only underwear), ran across an active runway before being apprehended by police.
A key moment in the exchange occurs when the pilot of Delta 192 makes a critical safety decision. Despite the intruder being in custody, the captain refuses to restart the engines or continue the flight. He cites security concerns, noting that because the individual was "outside the airplane" and "banging on the airplane," there was no way to know if the man had tampered with the engines or airframe. This demonstrates high professional competence, prioritizing the safety of the passengers over the pressure to maintain the flight schedule.
For non-experts, this recording highlights the complexity of airport ground operations. When a "person on the field" is reported, ATC must immediately initiate a ground stop. In the transcript, you hear the controller halting all departures and diverting landings to "outboard" runways to ensure no aircraft strike the intruder. The mention of "Tango" and "27 Right" refers to specific taxiways and runways at ATL, showing how controllers and pilots use a precise grid to track the intruder's movements.
The aftermath of the event led to a full security sweep of the runway and a maintenance inspection of the aircraft. The MD-88 involved had to be towed back to the gate so the crew could ensure the exterior was not compromised. In aviation culture, this incident is remembered for the "New hire?" joke made by a nearby pilot, reflecting the dark humor often used by aviators to break the tension of a bizarre and potentially dangerous situation.
Original ATC Communication
Plain English Translation
DELTA_192
Tower, Delta 192.
DELTA_192
Tower, this is Delta flight 192.
ATC
Delta 192, Tower.
ATC
Go ahead, Delta 192, we hear you.
DELTA_192
Tower, 192. There apparently is a passenger who opened an over-wing exit. He is now on the wing, attempting to jump. Can you alert the police, please?
DELTA_192
Tower, 192. We have a situation—a passenger just opened an emergency exit over the wing. He’s out on the wing right now, looking like he’s about to jump. Can you get the police out here immediately, please?
ATC
Delta 192, can you repeat that?
ATC
Delta 192, could you say that again? I want to make sure I understood you.
DELTA_192
Yeah, 192. Flight attendants informed us that there is somebody who opened an over-wing exit and is on the wing, getting ready to jump off. Stand by, we’ll give you additional information. Flight attendants are talking to us right now on the interphone.
DELTA_192
That’s right, 192. The flight attendants just told us someone opened the emergency door and is standing on the wing, getting ready to jump off. Hang on, we’ll get more details; the crew is talking to us on the cabin intercom right now.
ATC
Okay. All departures are stopped right now.
ATC
Understood. We are stopping all takeoffs immediately.
DELTA_192
Hey Tower, Delta 192. The passenger is mostly naked, running across Runway 27 Right at Tango.
DELTA_192
Tower, Delta 192. The passenger is mostly undressed now and is sprinting across the right-hand runway near the Tango taxiway intersection.
ATC
Okay, thank you. Somebody reported possibly seeing him from the tower.
ATC
Okay, thank you. Our controllers up here think they might have spotted him from the tower windows.
DELTA_192
Yeah, he’s got his hands up. Yeah, he is walking across the runway right now.
DELTA_192
Yeah, he’s got his hands in the air. He’s walking right across the middle of the active runway at the moment.
OTHER_PILOT
Well, that's a new one.
OTHER_PILOT
Well, that’s certainly something you don’t see every day.
DELTA_192
Yeah, first off for us, too. And now that passenger is running back toward the airplane at this time.
DELTA_192
Yeah, it’s a first for us, too. And now that passenger is running back toward our aircraft.
ATC
Okay, thank you. Yeah, we've stopped all ground movement. They're going to land the outboards, not landing 27 Left currently, so everything's stopped. We’ve got the police on the way.
ATC
Okay, thanks. We’ve frozen all traffic on the ground. We’re moving incoming flights to the outer runways and keeping the main landing strips clear, so everything here is at a standstill. We have the police on the way.
DELTA_192
Tower, for Delta 192. We have lost sight of him at this time. I'm not sure where he is in relation to the aircraft.
DELTA_192
Tower, for Delta 192. We’ve lost sight of him now. We aren't sure where he is in relation to our plane.
ATC
Delta 192, copy. Okay, they have eyes on him, and they say he's under the plane.
ATC
Delta 192, acknowledged. The observers have him in sight, and they’re saying he’s directly underneath your plane.
DELTA_192
Yeah, sounds like he's banging on the airplane trying to get back in, but we're not opening the doors to let him in, obviously. So, if you could tell police to hurry up.
DELTA_192
Yeah, we can hear him banging on the side of the plane trying to get back in, but we’re obviously not opening the doors for him. If you could just tell the police to hurry up.
ATC
Okay, thanks.
ATC
Okay, thanks.
DELTA_192
Hey Tower, Delta 192. We’ve now had a chance to get the full story from the flight attendant. What we had, apparently, was an individual who was outside the aircraft, got up on the wing, and opened the over-wing exit. So, the individual who's running around on the runway was not on our aircraft, but he was outside the aircraft and attempted to get in the aircraft from the over-wing exit.
DELTA_192
Hey Tower, this is Delta 192. We’ve finally had a chance to get the full story from our flight attendant. It turns out we had an individual who was outside the aircraft, climbed up onto the wing, and actually opened the emergency exit from the outside. So, that person running around on the runway wasn't one of our passengers; he was someone outside the plane trying to get inside through the wing door.
ATC
Okay, thank you. Copy.
ATC
Okay, thank you. I've got all that.
DELTA_192
Delta 192. If you're in communication with the police, we just need to make sure that the area around the aircraft is clear, because we've got both engines shut down. Until we're clear, we’ll start them back up and resume taxi.
Tower, just to be advised, they've apprehended the individual. They have him secured inside one of the police cars at this time, so they should be clearing our area shortly. But again, we’ll probably want Operations to just make sure and give us the okay that everything's clear around us and behind us so we can start an engine to get back to the gate.
DELTA_192
Delta 192 here. If you're talking to the police, we just need to make sure the area around the plane is completely clear, because we’ve shut down both of our engines. Once we know it's safe, we’ll start them back up and continue driving to the gate.
Tower, just so you know, they've caught the guy. They have him secured inside a police car now, so they should be clearing out of our way shortly. But again, we’ll want Airport Operations to double-check and give us the okay that everything is clear around and behind us so we can safely start an engine to get back to the gate.
ATC
Okay, I understand. Let me just check with Ground. I think the police vehicles are on the Ground frequency, so I'll see if they can switch them so we're on the same frequency.
ATC
Okay, I understand. Let me check with the ground controllers. I think the police vehicles are listening to the Ground radio frequency, so I'll see if we can get everyone on the same channel.
DELTA_192
Okay. You know what, on second thought, just for security reasons—we don't know what this guy was doing on the outside of the airplane. We're going to leave our engines shut down. We're going to request a tow back in, just to take it to the extreme on the potential security issues that may have developed as a result of this individual. We're not going to start these engines. We're going to coordinate with the company and get towed back in.
DELTA_192
Okay. You know what, on second thought—just for security reasons—we don't know what this guy might have been doing to the outside of the airplane. We're going to keep our engines shut down. We're going to request a tow truck to pull us back in, just to be extremely cautious about any potential security issues that might have come up because of this person. We aren't going to start these engines. We'll coordinate with our airline and get towed back to the terminal.
ATC
Understood. Good call. Ops 5, are you on frequency?
ATC
Understood. That's a good call. Airport Operations 5, are you on this radio channel?
OPS_05
Yeah, Tower, Ops 5.
OPS_05
Yeah Tower, this is Operations 5.
ATC
Ops 5, Tower.
ATC
Operations 5, this is the Tower.
OPS_05
Tower, Ops 5. How do you hear?
OPS_05
Tower, Operations 5. How is my radio signal?
ATC
Hear you loud and clear. Do you know what the next move is for this aircraft here at Tango?
ATC
I hear you loud and clear. Do you know what the plan is for this aircraft sitting here on taxiway Tango?
OPS_05
Yeah, I was trying to get everybody on the same frequency so we could communicate better. Ops 5, you're requested for a tug. Reference the individual and any potential threat there, he doesn't want to start his engines. He wants to be towed back to the ramp.
OPS_05
Yeah, I was trying to get everyone on the same frequency so we could communicate better. Operations 5, you're being requested for a tow. Because of that individual and the potential threat he posed, the pilot doesn't want to start his engines. He wants to be towed back to the parking area.
ATC
All right, copy that. We'll have a tug come over to him and we'll bring him to his gate. Thanks.
ATC
All right, I copy that. We'll have a tow truck head over to him and we'll bring him to his gate. Thanks.
DELTA_192
Hey Ops 5, this is Delta 192. Are you going to relate to our company? We’re also going to try and get them on our company frequency as well.
DELTA_192
Hey Operations 5, this is Delta 192. Are you going to update our airline on this? We’re also going to try and reach them on our private company radio as well.
OPS_05
And we have a tug coming for you from One South right now. They should be there any minute.
OPS_05
We have a tow truck coming for you from the south side of the airport right now. They should be there any minute.
DELTA_192
Fantastic. Thank you for Delta 192. I appreciate it.
DELTA_192
That’s fantastic. Thanks for the help with Delta flight 192. I really appreciate it.
ATC
And Delta 192, we've called for the tug. And then Ops 5, can you do a runway inspection?
ATC
Delta 192, we've requested the tow vehicle for you. And Airport Operations 5, can you head out and perform a safety inspection on the runway?
OPS_05
Roger that. Runway 27 Right?
OPS_05
Copy that. You want me to check runway 27 Right?
ATC
27 Right.
ATC
Yes, runway 27 Right.
OPS_05
Roger that, 27 Right.
OPS_05
Understood, checking 27 Right.
DELTA_192
And Ops 5, for Delta 192. The individual was about 20 to 30 feet into 27 Right, just about 100 meters alpha of the intersection going west.
DELTA_192
Operations 5, this is the pilot of Delta 192. That person was about 20 or 30 feet onto runway 27 Right, maybe 100 meters before the taxiway intersection, heading west.
ATC
Okay.
ATC
Got it.
DELTA_192
And Ops 5, for Delta 192. Just additional: it appeared that when the individual came back toward the airplane in the grass between 27 Right and Taxiway Tango, he dropped something in the grass—dropped a few things in the grass right there.
DELTA_192
Operations 5, one more thing from Delta 192. It looked like when he ran back toward the plane through the grass between the runway and taxiway Tango, he dropped a few things right there in the lawn.
OPS_05
Did he come off your airplane?
OPS_05
Was he a passenger who got off your plane?
DELTA_192
Well, initially we thought that was the case, but apparently no. He came up from apparently outside the airplane and attempted to enter the aircraft through the over-wing exit.
DELTA_192
We thought so at first, but it looks like no. He apparently came from outside the plane and actually tried to climb inside through the emergency exit over the wing.
OPS_05
And he was naked?
OPS_05
And you're saying he was naked?
DELTA_192
Well, he had on underwear. Maybe he just wanted to cool off.
DELTA_192
Well, he was down to his underwear. Maybe he just needed to catch a breeze.
OTHER_PILOT
Tough BVDs.
OTHER_PILOT
Those are some tough underpants.
OTHER_PILOT
New hire?
OTHER_PILOT
Is he a new employee?
OPS_05
No. And Captain from the MD-88, what grass was it? To your left or to your right?
OPS_05
No. And Captain of that Delta jet, which patch of grass was it? Was it to your left or to your right?
DELTA_192
The individual went into the grass right there to your right. So, right there by the 27 Right red sign, between us and the taxiway—or on the runway is where he was running. So, that area looked like he dropped a few things.
DELTA_192
That guy ran into the grass right there to your right. He was right by the red sign for Runway 27 Right, between us and the taxiway—actually, he was running right on the runway itself. It looked like he might have dropped a few things in that area.
OPS_05
All right, copy that. Thanks.
OPS_05
Okay, I understand. Thanks for the heads-up.
DELTA_192
You guys might want to consider a walk-around to make sure he didn't plant anything on your jet.
DELTA_192
You guys might want to think about doing a walk-around inspection of your plane to make sure he didn't leave anything dangerous on your jet.
OPS_05
Roger that. We’ll notify Maintenance now.
OPS_05
Understood. We’ll notify our maintenance team right now.
ATC
Delta 912, cross Runway 27 Right at Sierra, join Mike, contact Ground .75.
ATC
Delta 912, cross over Runway 27 Right at taxiway Sierra, turn onto taxiway Mike, and then switch over to ground control on frequency .75.
OTHER_PILOT
Cross 27 Right at Sierra, join Mike, Delta 912.
OTHER_PILOT
Crossing 27 Right at Sierra, then onto Mike, Delta 912.
ATC
Delta 1176, hold short of Lima Charlie.
ATC
Delta 1176, stop and wait before you reach the intersection of taxiways Lima and Charlie.
OTHER_PILOT
Hold short of Lima Charlie, Delta 1176.
OTHER_PILOT
Stopping short of Lima Charlie, Delta 1176.
ATC
Delta 875, hold short of Lima Charlie. I'm just going to get one aircraft off of Lima in front of you for internal spacing.
ATC
Delta 875, stop and wait before taxiway Lima Charlie. I’m just going to move one aircraft off the taxiway ahead of you to make sure everyone has enough room.
OTHER_PILOT
Hold short of Lima Charlie, Delta 875.
OTHER_PILOT
Waiting short of Lima Charlie, Delta 875.
ATC
Okay, and for the next sequence: Delta 2921 will be first, 1176 at Lima Charlie is next, Endeavor 3326, Delta 1814, and Delta 1646.
ATC
Okay, here is the order for takeoff: Delta 2921 will be first, Delta 1176 waiting at Lima Charlie is next, then Endeavor 3326, Delta 1814, and Delta 1646.
OTHER_PILOT
Is 1063 in that mix somewhere?
OTHER_PILOT
Is flight 1063 in that lineup somewhere?
ATC
I'll give it to you in a second, but just hold short of Lima Charlie. You can plan to depart from there. You’re about number five for departure.
ATC
I’ll get that to you in a second, but for now just wait before taxiway Lima Charlie. You can plan to take off from that spot. You’re about fifth in line to go.
OTHER_PILOT
Thank you.
OTHER_PILOT
Thank you.
ATC
And just for your planning purposes, all 27 Right departures are just stopped for about two more minutes reference conflicting departures on 26 Left.
ATC
And just so you can plan ahead, all takeoffs from Runway 27 Right are paused for about two more minutes because of traffic taking off from the nearby Runway 26 Left.
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