A mysterious banging noise heard while an American Airlines flight was in the air prompted an emergency landing.
Flight 954 had departed Buenos Aires on Thursday at 9:15am and was heading to New York when the odd sound was heard by passengers and crew while 30,000 feet in the air.
The plane was abruptly rerouted back to its starting destination at Ezeiza International Airport, Express US reported.
The chilling incident led armed police officers to swarm the aircraft upon its return to Buenos Aires.
The situation was all caught on dramatic footage taken by the passengers of the flight.
A traveler referred to the ordeal as ‘unusual’ and something that seemed to be ‘straight out of a movie’.
American Airlines flight 954 made an emergency landing back in Buenos Aires after a mysterious pounding sound coming from the cargo hold was heard while 30,000 feet in the air
The chilling incident led to armed officers storming the cargo hold upon return which was all caught on dramatic video footage
Another woman who witnessed the incident described it as ‘scary’.
Flight attendants along with some passengers reported hearing a pounding noise coming from the cargo hold of the craft, sounding as if someone was trapped and attempting to ask for help.
The cargo hold – which is sealed and not accessible while the plane is in the air – is an area that is used to transport luggage, not live cargo.
The pilot initially announced to travelers that the flight would be turning back due to a problem, but later revealed that a person may be stuck inside the hold.
Once the plane landed, armed police officers swarmed the plane – prepared to storm the area and locate the trapped person.
The Special Tactical Assault Group, the Explosives and Special Weapons Control Group and the Canine Technology Binomial were additionally deployed to address the situation.
Extra hands from the National Civil Aviation Administration, PFA firefighters and health were also involved in the operation.
But after thorough inspection, it was concluded that there was no danger – and no one trapped inside the cargo hold.
The plane was flying from Buenos Aires, Argentina to New York, but abruptly turned back shortly after take-off due to concerns that someone was trapped inside the cargo hold
American Airlines took to X on Friday to confirm that there was no issue with the plane after a thorough investigation led to ‘negative results’ (stock photo)
The investigation led to ‘negative results’.
‘The hold was opened and the unloading of the luggage containers began, without anything outside the normal parameters being seen at the time,’ emergency services said.
The flight was eventually cancelled, but due to an ‘overdue crew’ – the employees had exceeded the hours that they could continue working.
On Friday, American Airlines took to X to confirm that there was no issue on the plane, saying: ‘Reports of a person in cargo are not accurate’.
‘Flight 954 returned to Buenos Aires due to a reported noise in the cargo hold, but after a thorough search, it was determined there was no issue. Our customers will be re-departing later today and we apologize for the inconvenience.’
But passengers were left feeling frustrated at the airline after spending hours onboard the plane before hearing any official news of what was going on.
The flight was later rescheduled, but the cause of the mysterious noise is still unknown.
In a statement to The Mirror, American Airlines said: ‘Safety is our top priority and we thank our crew members for their professionalism and our customers for their understanding.’
