The 25 Wildest Airplane Stories Of 2017 Gallery

Tens of thousands of feet in the air, in an enclosed space full of people who are often nervous, tired, and sometimes even drunk, flights can get wild. Amid all the controversy in travel this year, some moments in air travel made headlines purely because they were just so strange.

Perhaps humans are just not meant to be in the air, particularly for long. While some passengers merely got kicked off of flights for throwing tantrums over being denied more Champagne, others became violent and dangerous. Some travelers got a little too frisky, creating some really awkward moments for their fellow passengers, whereas others caused heartwarming moments by giving the gift of life midair. A few nerve-wracking episodes occurred with plane malfunctions or mishaps that, luckily, ended up with everyone okay, if a little traumatized. The year 2017 had some absolutely terrifying airplane moments, as well as some that were just shocking or downright hilarious.  For stories that you just might not believe, check out the 25 wildest airplane stories of 2017.

Just a few days after the birth on Jet Airways, another baby boy received free lifetime travel when he arrived on Spirit Airlines Flight 971 bound for Dallas from Fort Lauderdale. Cristina Penton, who was 36 weeks pregnant and accompanied by her children ages 11 and 12, started feeling unwell shortly after takeoff and informed the flight crew. They made her comfortable and provided her with water, which Spirit usually charges for. A pediatrician and a nurse were luckily on board and attended to her as she began to have contractions. Although repeatedly told to not push, Penton told CNN that her water broke and after three pushes, her son Christoph Carston Lezcano was born at 7 pounds and 19.5 inches long. The flight was then diverted to New Orleans. While midflight births are rare, cabin crew members are trained to handle medical emergencies, and a Spirit spokesman told CNN that the flight attendants were communicating inflight with doctors on the ground as well. Though born a month early, the baby had no complications. While the airlines offered them a free flight home to Phoenix, the family had to drive, as the baby was too young for immunizations. For his part, Christoph will be given a free Spirit Airlines flight every year on his birthday for both himself and a guest.

The left engine of a United Express jet caught fire shortly after landing at Denver International Airport from Aspen back in July. Although no one was injured, the terrifying images quickly made the rounds on social media. First responders put out the fire on the plane, which was being flown by SkyWest Airlines.

An All Nippon Airways flight saw conflict before it had even taken off, just a week before the Southwest flight, when it was waiting for takeoff from Narita, Japan, to Los Angeles. A witness told CBS Los Angeles that they saw men in an apparently heated argument when one pointed at the other and asked "Where are you from?" before telling him "I'll kill you." The man who made the threat apparently began shoving and hitting his fellow passenger, who began to fight back. A video captured by the witness shows a flight attendant attempted to intervene and separate the two men as they exchanged blows, and the witness says that when he also got involved, the man who started the fight finally stopped and left the plane. ANA made a public statement in which they said that the man also attempted to assault a gate agent as he left the plane before he was finally arrested by police.

An American Airlines flight flying from San Francisco to Dallas was getting ready for takeoff on April 21 when a flight attendant took a stroller from a passenger and hit her in the head with it, just missing the baby she was carrying. A video taken right after the incident shows the woman with her child in her arms, crying and asking the cabin crew for her stroller. The video also shows another passenger confronting a cabin crew member and asking the name of the man and if he was an employee, and another passenger saying that "he smacked her in the face with the stroller." When the employee in question returns to the cabin, the video shows the first passenger confronting him before crew members separate the two. A public statement made by American Airlines stated that the incident began when the mother tried to bring a stroller onto the plane that was too big. The flight attendant who hit her was suspended by the airline, which also apologized to the passenger and other customers affected. The passenger and her family were upgraded to first class on another flight, and she was also given a $1,000 voucher, according to CBS News.

One of the biggest travel controversies of the year occurred on April 9, when a Kentucky doctor was violently removed from United Express Flight 3411 after he refused to give up his seat. Social media lit up with video and images of David Dao, an American of Vietnamese-Chinese background, being literally dragged off the plane by O'Hare International Airport police. The situation started when passengers were offered travel vouchers in exchange for giving up their seats for four airline employees. When none accepted, four were selected at random, one of whom was Dao. When Dao refused, airport police pulled him out of his seat screaming, causing him to hit his face on an armrest. The officers then dragged Dao, apparently unconscious and on his back, by his arms down the aisle of the plane, and he was seen later with blood around his mouth as well. To make matters worse, United CEO Oscar Munoz issued a public statement justifying the ordeal and also sent out an email to United employees praising the actions of the crew and condemning Dao as "belligerent." The mishap resulted in another statement, this time apologetic, and Munoz's denial of a previously planned promotion to chairman. On April 27, Dao reached a settlement with United on undisclosed terms.

A passenger on United Airlines Flight 898 caused the New Orleans-bound plane to turn back around to Houston due to her disruptive behavior. About 25 minutes into the 45-minute journey, a woman in the back row of the aircraft apparently began hitting the wall and yelling "We are all protected and loved! We are all protected and loved! This plane is going to land beautifully and kindly!" a witness told ABC 13 Eyewitness News. She then made a run for the cockpit, but was thwarted by five other passengers who tackled her to the ground. The passengers then tied the woman's wrists using zip-tie handcuffs given to them by cabin crew members and held her down until the flight returned to Houston. Police were able to escort the woman off the plane, and the flight resumed its journey back to its destination.

An August 5 incident sent people flying — and ten of them to the hospital — when it lurched violently mid-air. The American Airlines flight was flying over the Atlantic Ocean en route to Philadelphia from Greece, and the cabin crew had just handed out drinks when both passengers and crew members were suddenly urged to return to their seats and fasten their seat belts. Drinks began spilling as turbulence increased, and the plane suddenly lurched hard, sending both drinks and people flying into the air. Three passengers and seven crew members were hospitalized as a result once the aircraft landed in Philadelphia after about half an hour, but all were released by the next morning.

Earlier this year in February, a pilot got the attention of both her passengers and the news media in an episode full of truly bizarre behavior. As United Flight 455 was getting ready to take off from Austin for San Francisco, the plane's captain boarded the plane in civilian clothes and took to the intercom to ask the passengers to take a vote on whether she should fly in her current clothes or change to a uniform. She apologized and explained that she was going through a divorce before continuing to use the PA system to go on a rant about President Trump and Hillary Clinton, both of whom she referred to as "a-holes", before ranting more about said divorce. Passengers started to tweet at United asking for a new pilot, and 20 people on the flight decided to get off the plane, citing that they didn't feel safe with her flying it. A new pilot was brought on after a delay of about two hours, according to a United spokesman, and the company made a public statement apologizing for the inconvenience.

As Hurricane Irma hit Puerto Rico with winds of 185 mph, one brave pilot took the risk of flying through the hurricane on September 6. The daring escapade was documented on Twitter by aviation research and writer Jason Rabinowitz, whose tweets held the website in thrall. On the same day that a few flights tried to head to San Juan but turned around, one Delta flight took off from New York just before the hurricane hit in order to rescue evacuees. According to Rabinowitz, plane was 34 minutes late in taking off, further heightening fears, but the flight managed to land in Puerto Rico and pick up approximately 30 passengers before heading back to New York amid heavy rain just 52 minutes after landing. Rabinowitz also pointed out that the flight was extremely and dangerously close to the outer band of the Category 5 storm, but luckily all passengers were brought to JFK safe and sound.

A video depicting an Emirates Airbus A380, the world's largest passenger plane, making a terrifying landing went viral in October. Emirates flight EK 55 landed in Düsseldorf, Germany, on October 5, already wobbling upon approach and then bouncing and swerving severely upon landing. The pilots were able to get the plane on track within seconds, but the video still managed to terrify many and has earned over 12.6 million views on YouTube so far.

In early December, an entire flight from Los Angeles to New York had to divert to Los Angeles after a passenger began biting his fellow travelers and hitting others. The man apparently began biting those sitting with him, whom he knew, as the JetBlue flight was flying over Utah and also began hitting other passengers. When doctors present on the flight attempted to examine him, the man attacked them as well. The day was saved when another passenger grabbed his hands and held them behind his back as cabin crew members properly restrained him. Upon landing in Las Vegas, the man was taken off of the flight, and the rest of the passengers resumed their journey to their destination.

On the same day as the incident with a Kentucky doctor being dragged off a United plane, a passenger going from Houston to Calgary on United Flight 1418 got a nasty shock when a scorpion stung him during the trip. In a Skype interview with CBS News, the passenger said he was having dinner when he felt something fall on his head. He went to grab what turned out to be a scorpion when it stung him underneath his fingernail. Upon landing, medical personnel arrived at the aircraft and the scorpion was also euthanized. In addition to an apology from the airline, the passenger and his wife were given flight credit for their troubles.