Flight diverted after man tries to open door while traveling in the USA

A flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Guatemala was diverted to Washington Dulles International Airport on Thursday night (21) after a man tried to open a door during the flight.

United Airlines Flight 1551 had been in the air for about an hour when "the crew reported a disturbance involving a passenger," the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement.

The man tried to open "door 2L, at 36,000 feet (approximately 10,000 meters) altitude, and then attacked a passenger", the pilot reported to approach controllers, according to a recording available on the ATC.com website.

The plane made a U-turn over eastern Virginia and landed in Dulles a short time later, according to tracking website FlightAware.

None of the 145 passengers and six crew on board the Boeing 737 were injured, the airline said in a statement.

The flight was canceled and passengers were provided with accommodations for the night and were re-accommodated on a new flight to Guatemala City on Friday morning (22), United said.

The FAA reported that, to date, more than 600 incidents involving unruly passengers have been recorded this year. Passengers may face prison sentences, fines or travel restrictions.

Source: CNN