One more unruly at Anchorage
 

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A China Eastern Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Beijing diverted to Anchorage after a 36-year-old passenger stripped to his underwear, threatened passengers and the flight crew, and attempted to open one of the jumbo jet's doors.

China Eastern Flight 584 made an unscheduled stop at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport on Sunday night, FBI spokesman Eric Gonzalez said.

It's at least the fourth trans-Pacific flight to make an emergency stop this year in Anchorage to discharge an unruly passenger.

Flight 584 left Los Angeles about 1:30 p.m. Sunday. About one hour into the flight, Gonzalez said, the man from Houston, Texas, complained of feeling discomfort.

"A nurse on the plane took the passenger's blood pressure and it was really elevated," he said. "During the flight the passenger became more and more agitated. At one point he began taking off his clothes, threatened some of the passengers and the flight crew, and even attempted to open an exit door."

Other passengers and crew members managed to restrain the man and cover him in blankets. The crew then decided to land the MD-11 in Anchorage to get the man off the plane, Gonzalez said.

FBI agents and airport police officers met the plane and took the man off without incident. They determined he was suffering from some sort of medical condition and appeared to have overdosed on his medication, Gonzalez said. He didn't know the specifics of the condition or what drugs the man had taken. The man was taken to Providence Alaska Medical Center.

The plane continued on to Beijing, Gonzalez said.

The FBI is not identifying the man because he has not been charged with a crime, Gonzalez said.

FBI agents will complete their report on the incident and forward it to the U.S. attorney's office and the Federal Aviation Administration, which will determine whether the man will face any criminal charges or civil penalties.