A 25-year-old woman was arrested for disorderly conduct and public intoxication after allegedly starting a drunken altercation onboard a United Express flight last week from Jacksonville to Houston and then stripping down to just her underwear and a t-shirt.
Sierra Nicole McClinton, of University City, Texas was arrested by the Mobile Airport Authority Police Department after United flight UA4332, operated by regional operator CommutAir, was forced to divert off its intended flight path to the Alabama airport on November 5.
A spokesperson for Commutair confirmed the flight had diverted due to a “disruptive passenger”. The flight continued onto Houston a short time after McClinton was taken off the plane by police and arrived around an hour and half late after its unscheduled stop.
McClinton allegedly started an altercation with another passenger before a flight attendant attempted to calm the situation down. Police say McClinton appeared intoxicated.
After unsuccessfully trying to calm McClinton, the flight attendant was helped by one of the other passengers to restrain McClinton while the flight diverted to Mobile. The regional jet operated by CommutAir typically has just one flight attendant onboard.
By the time the plane had landed in Mobile, however, it’s reported that McClinton had managed to strip and was just wearing her underwear and a t-shirt when police hauled her off the plane. She continued to yell obscenities as she was removed from the plane, media reports claim.
It remains unclear what started the confrontation or why McClinton wasn’t wearing pants on arrival in Mobile.
“CommutAir flight 4332, operating as United Express from Jacksonville to Houston, diverted to Mobile when a passenger became disruptive,” a CommutAir spokesperson confirmed. “The aircraft landed safely in Mobile where law enforcement officials met the aircraft at the gate. The flight continued on to Houston shortly after.”
