American Airlines Pilots Mistakenly Suspect Cockpit Breach Attempt During Flight

On Monday, a flight heading to Los Angeles from Omaha was forced to make an emergency landing due to a communication mishap that led pilots to believe there was an attempted cockpit breach. The confusion arose when flight attendants, unable to use the aircraft’s communication system, resorted to knocking on the cockpit door.

SkyWest flight 6569, which had taken off from Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska, returned to the airport around 7:45 p.m. local time. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that the emergency was declared because the pilots lost contact with the cabin crew, prompting the return to Eppley Airfield.

Updated: Oct 21, 2025 / 02:22 PM CDT

(The Hill) — A Los Angeles-bound flight made an emergency landing on Monday after its pilots mistakenly thought someone was trying to breach the cockpit when its flight attendants banged on the locked door because the plane’s communication system went down.

SkyWest flight 6569 returned to Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska, at approximately 7:45 p.m. local time, “after declaring an emergency when the pilot could not contact the cabin crew,” the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement.

The American Airlines flight, operated by SkyWest, traveled less than 40 miles before returning to the Omaha airport.

“After landing, it was determined there was a problem with the inter-phone system and the flight crew was knocking on the cockpit door,” the FAA said in its statement.

SkyWest did not respond to an immediate request for comment.

The captain apologized to the passengers after landing.

“We weren’t sure if something was going on with the airplane, so that’s why we’re coming back here,” the captain said. “It’s going to be a little bit. We have to figure out what’s going on.”

Video footage of the flight shows police officers boarding the plane after the emergency landing, as police vehicles approached on the tarmac.