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Teenager Attempts to Hijack Airplane and Crash It to the Ground

Small Airplane In Sky

A teenage boy has been arrested in Alaska after grabbing the controls of a plane and trying to crash it to the ground during landing.

Jaden Lake-Kameroff, 18, was one of five people aboard the small Cessna Caravan aircraft flying from Bethel to Aniak on Wednesday.

The teenager jumped from his seat and grabbed the yoke – a wheel used to control altitude. This sent the plane on a full nosedive.

With the help of other passengers, the pilot was eventually able to wrestle back control as the plane hurdled towards the ground.

The plane was in the process of landing when the struggle ensued. It was only about five miles from the airport when the incident occurred. It reached its destination safely where the 18-year-old was arrested.

He now faces charges of terroristic threatening, assault and attempted assault, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety.

According to an affidavit by trooper Jason Bohac, the teenager said that he wanted to end his life on the plane.

He had initially asked the pilot to fly earlier than scheduled. He then said he wanted to sit up at the front in the co-pilot seat, according the document.

After both requests were denied, he left his seat and attempted to send the plane crashing to the ground, the affidavit states.

One passenger, identified as Alice Samuelson, told Bohac that the teenager seemed to have anxiety before boarding the plane.

She said he was eventually restrained by other people on the plane, according to the affidavit.

Lee Ryan, president of Ryan Air, the company that operated the flight, said the passenger “was in the second row of seats and kind of just reached over the copilot seat and briefly grabbed control of the aircraft.”

The pilot moved the passenger back and regained control of the aircraft “very professionally”, Ryan said.

“We have different types of training and security training and different procedures, and he said he just moved him back in and landed without further incident, got on the radio and let our company know what was going on,” he said.

Alaskan online court records system showed an arraignment was held Thursday.