An Austrian man died after a struggle with other passengers on a flight from Mexico City to Paris on Saturday, aviation and law enforcement sources have told ABCNEWS.
Aero Mexico Flight 005 was diverted to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport after Alexander Zeiss, 25, started acting strangely and became aggressive toward the flight crew and other passengers, an Aero Mexico spokesperson said.
The disruption apparently started at the beginning of the meal service, the spokesperson said. Zeiss was allegedly yelling and drinking out of a bottle of whiskey that he brought on board.
The crew restrained Zeiss with plastic handcuffs, but he broke free and began choking a flight attendant, sources told ABCNEWS. When Zeiss became violent, the spokesperson said, the crew moved him to the back of the plane where they subdued him with a woman's panty hose. One source said that 10 to 12 passengers jumped into action to help the flight attendants.
During the struggle, Zeiss collapsed. The crew noticed that his lips and tongue were a different color, the airline spokesperson said. Zeiss later died.
The cause of Zeiss' death remains unclear. Two sources told ABCNEWS that Zeiss had allegedly consumed as much as a fifth of whiskey, but officials said they were awaiting the results of toxicology reports.
The FBI is investigating the incident, but officials say they are having difficulty determining the cause of death pending autopsy results, which are expected within a week.
Aero Mexico Flight 005 was diverted to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport after Alexander Zeiss, 25, started acting strangely and became aggressive toward the flight crew and other passengers, an Aero Mexico spokesperson said.
The disruption apparently started at the beginning of the meal service, the spokesperson said. Zeiss was allegedly yelling and drinking out of a bottle of whiskey that he brought on board.
The crew restrained Zeiss with plastic handcuffs, but he broke free and began choking a flight attendant, sources told ABCNEWS. When Zeiss became violent, the spokesperson said, the crew moved him to the back of the plane where they subdued him with a woman's panty hose. One source said that 10 to 12 passengers jumped into action to help the flight attendants.
During the struggle, Zeiss collapsed. The crew noticed that his lips and tongue were a different color, the airline spokesperson said. Zeiss later died.
The cause of Zeiss' death remains unclear. Two sources told ABCNEWS that Zeiss had allegedly consumed as much as a fifth of whiskey, but officials said they were awaiting the results of toxicology reports.
The FBI is investigating the incident, but officials say they are having difficulty determining the cause of death pending autopsy results, which are expected within a week.
