Airline passenger opens emergency exit and climbs onto plane wing—officials

An airline passenger has been hospitalized after opening the emergency exit of the plane and climbing onto its wing, according to officials.

NBC News reported that the incident took place last weekend in a Southwest Airlines plane at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. Authorities noted that the aircraft was not in motion when it happened.

"He was caught on the tarmac, and transported to a local hospital for evaluation," the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office said without getting into much detail on the man's medical records.

The passenger's motive behind his actions remains unknown, according to NBC News.

As stated in the same report, the flight "eventually departed to Atlanta and continued to its final destination of Baltimore" after a short delay. 

"We commend our flight and ground crews for their swift action and apologize to our customers for their inconvenience," said Southwest Airlines.

NBC News said that the airline company confirmed to authorities that there was an incident involving a traveler's "unauthorized deplaning of the aircraft" without any further comment.

An investigation into the case is still ongoing. No criminal complaints have so far been filed in line with the incident.