Dramatic moment hero pilot tackles drunk passenger who carried out mid-air assault on hostess leaving her in need of physiotherapy
THIS is the amazing moment a drunk passenger is tackled to the ground by a hero pilot after he assaults a stewardess.
Thug Michael Kerr, 25, was brought down by an American Airlines wingman after trying to barge his way off the plane in a fit of drunken rage.
Kerr can be seen shoving past a stewardess before he is wrestled and pinned to the ground by the pilot when the plane landed in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The dramatic footage captured by another passenger shows the pilot yelling: "You don't put your hands on my flight attendant" as he overpowers the drunk yob.
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Earlier, the clip shows Kerr refusing to sit down as the plane taxis towards the gate.
He instead launches into a foul-mouth tirade while trying to charge to the door of the plane.
The stewardess was left hospitalised as a result of the attack and is now undergoing physiotherapy treatment, local news channel WSOC9 reported.
Kerr, from Kentucky, has been banned from flying after appearing in court on charges of being intoxicated and disruptive, assaulting a female and communicating threats, according to the .
He still faces charges of interfering with the duties of a flight crew or attendant, and could be handed up to 20 years in prison.
He is currently out on $25,000 (£19,000) bond, according to the US Attorney's Office.
Documents shown to the court in Charlotte include an FBI report saying Kerr threatened to break the flight attendant's jaw.
It also says he kicked an attendant's leg and pushed another.
Staff on board the short flight said he had three Jack Daniels drinks, the court heard.
We're de-escalating situations all day long
Flight attendants' union spokesperson
Flight attendants' union the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA said it was worried air rage incidents like this were becoming more common.
"We're de-escalating situations all day long", spokesperson Taylor Garland said.
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