Passenger accused of opening cabin door on Delta flight from Atlanta, faces federal charge
What started as a delayed flight out of Atlanta quickly turned into a federal case.
According to a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Thomas W. Ryan is accused of interfering with a flight crew member during a disturbance aboard a Delta Air Lines flight on Monday, April 27.
Federal investigators say the incident happened on Flight 2879, which was traveling from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to Chicago O’Hare International Airport. The plane had already been delayed for about two hours due to the weather before passengers boarded.
After the aircraft left the gate, the captain announced another delay because of air traffic in Chicago. That’s when, according to the complaint, Ryan got out of his seat and demanded to get off the plane.
A flight attendant told investigators Ryan returned to his seat at first, but then got up again and became more aggressive, yelling at crew members and insisting he would get off the aircraft. Authorities say he was told multiple times to sit down.
A Delta plane near an air traffic control tower at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) in Atlanta, Georgia, US, on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. Airlines across the US began canceling flights scheduled for the coming days, as the longest government shutdown in history upends air travel and forces thousands of passengers to change their travel plans.Elijah Nouvelage / Bloomberg via Getty Images
The complaint says Ryan stood up a third time, shouted that he was going to open the door, and moved toward the front of the plane. The situation escalated when, according to investigators, he later threw his bags and opened the front cabin door, causing panic among passengers.
The door did not fully open, and the emergency slide did not deploy, but the incident prompted the captain to return the plane to the gate.
A passenger helped intervene, and crew members were eventually able to close the door. Ryan later returned to his seat.
Once the plane arrived back at the gate, Atlanta police took Ryan into custody. He was transported to a precinct holding cell, where he declined to speak with investigators.
A federal magistrate judge found probable cause to support the charge of interference with flight crew members and attendants.
In a statement, Delta said, “The safety of our customers and crew comes before all else, and Delta has zero tolerance for unruly behavior. We apologize to our customers on this flight for the delay in their travels.”
The case remains pending.
