An Alaska Airlines flight made an emergency landing on Monday when the pilot discovered someone trapped in the front cargo hold, officials said.
Flight 448 was bound for Los Angeles but had to return to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport about 14 minutes later when the captain reported that he heard banging coming from underneath the plane, according to a statement posted by Alaska Airlines.
The noise came from a ramp agent who told the authorities he fell asleep in the cargo hold. The worker was part of a four-person team loading baggage onto the flight. His shift started at 5 a.m. and was scheduled to end at 2:30 p.m. When his coworkers noticed he was missing and couldn’t reach him by cell phone, they assumed he ended his shift and went home.
The employee, who works for Menzies Aviation, passed a drug test later that afternoon and has been discharged from the hospital.
The flight landed in Los Angeles at 6:17 p.m.
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