Brian Windhorst Details Emergency Landing on Omaha–L.A. Flight

ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst was on a flight that had an unusual emergency landing on Monday on a flight from Omaha to L.A.

American Airlines Flight 6469, operating on SkyWest, returned back to Omaha after taking off for California on Oct. 20 because of a miscommunication between the pilots and flight attendants. The intercom system used onboard had been left on and was making static noise.

“The flight attendants were trying to get the pilots’ attention by pounding on the door, and the pilots thought that somebody was trying to break into the cockpit,” Windhorst said on Front Office Sports Today.

The pilots executed an emergency landing without telling passengers or flight attendants. Windhorst said he first wondered if something was wrong with the plane or if the pilot had a medical emergency, but then was thrown off when law enforcement met the plane on the ground. “When the ‘danger’ was over because we had landed, everything was fine, that’s when the passengers got worried, because they were approached by police,” he said.

Windhorst said the plane eventually made it to California four hours late, but he thinks the pilots did the right thing to protect passengers.

“I’m somebody who goes from Omaha to L.A. multiple times a month, probably 11 months a year,” Windhorst said, “so if there was ever going to be drama on the L.A.-to-Omaha run, it only is right that I was on the flight when it happened.”

Windhorst was in L.A. for the start of the NBA season this week. The Lakers hosted a home game for Tuesday’s opening night without star LeBron James, his first missed season opener in his 23-year career. 

“I look forward to going back on Friday and it to be a completely uneventful flight,” Windhorst said.