A passenger on a flight from Washington Dulles to Salt Lake City had to be forcibly restrained by flight attendants and his fellow seatmates after declaring the flight was a “simulation,” leading to an emergency diversion to Omaha.
Jordan Robert Langston of Ogden, Utah, has been charged with interference with flight crew members following the December 28, 2025, incident, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment.
Passenger screams, “This is a simulation”
Langston was a passenger on United Airlines flight UA-2410 from Washington Dulles to Salt Lake City, which departed at around 6:15 pm last Saturday.
According to a criminal affidavit filed in a Nebraska district court by FBI investigators, shortly after the Boeing 737 took off from Dulles, Langston got up from his seat and approached a flight attendant at the front of the aircraft.
Witnesses described how Langston was waving his hands above his head while screaming, “This is a simulation!” When the flight attendant asked Langston what, exactly, the simulation was, Langston replied, “This flight.
Langston then headed towards the back of the plane, where he engaged another flight attendant, first stepping on the crew member’s foot and then pushing her in the chest.
As the flight attendant tried to get Langston away from her, he again pushed her in the chest for the second time, while saying that he needed to get off the plane.
Pilots declare Level 2 threat but continue flight
The flight attendants warned Langston that if he continued to behave in an unruly manner that the flight would be diverted and ordered him to return to his seat. Langston initially paced the aisle of the plane before sitting down.
At this point, the flight attendants enlisted the help of four passengers who are known in United’s standard operating procedures as ‘Able Bodied Assistants’ (ASAs) who were happy to sit with Langston and would assist if his behavior became unruly again.
At this point, the pilots declared what is known as a Level 2 threat, but given the help of the ASAs and Langston’s now seemingly calm demeanor, the pilots decided to continue the flight to Salt Lake City.
How airlines grade passenger threats
Internationally, airlines grade the potential threat posed by passengers in the same way to ensure that this information is universally understood – from flight attendants and pilots, to air traffic controllers and law enforcement.
There are four threat levels:
- Level 1 – Disruptive Behavior: The passenger is being verbally disruptive or unruly, such as swearing or verbally threatening crew members, or refusing to comply with lawful instructions.
- Level 2 – Physically Abusive Behavior: At this point, the passenger is physically abusing crew members or other passengers. Behavior such as kicking, hitting, or spitting could fall into this category.
- Level 3 – Life Threatening Behavior: The passenger’s behavior has become so violent that they could cause serious injury to a crew member or seatmate. The use or threat of a weapon instantly makes a situation a Level 3 incident.
- Level 4 – Actual or Attempted Breach of Cockpit: This is the most serious grade of threat and covers everything from someone actually breaching the security of the cockpit or threatening to do so.
Passenger assaults seatmate and plane diverts to Omaha
Around 30 minutes later, however, Langston’s behavior started to deteriorate. He told one of the ASAs that he wanted to get up from his seat, but after being told that the pilots wanted him to remain seated, Langston forcibly stood up and moved into the aisle.
From there, he started to jump up and down and began ‘shadow boxing’ before striking one of the ASA’s in the face.
At this point, the ASAs and the flight attendants jumped in to restrain Langston. They then dragged Langston to the back of the plane, where they applied plastic ‘flexicuffs’ to him as he screamed and shouted about death.
The pilots declared an emergency and diverted the aircraft to Omaha Eppley Airfield where he was taken into custody.
Suspect faces threat of 20 years imprisonment
Langston has been charged with one count of interference with flight crew members, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in a federal prison, as well as a fine of up to $200,000.
In reality, it is incredibly rare for suspects found guilty of this crime to be sentenced to anything more than a few months in prison, along with some form of restitution to the airline to partially cover costs, like a diversion.
Given Langston’s behavior aboard Flight 2410, there could also be complex mental health or substance abuse issues that also need addressing.
