Passenger who tried to enter jetliner cockpit halted with ax

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- A passenger tried to force his way into the cockpit of a United Airlines plane carrying 157 people Thursday on a flight from Miami but was subdued after the co-pilot hit him over the head with a small ax.

Pablo Moreira, a banker from Uruguay, was restrained by the flight crew and later arrested by police after the flight landed as scheduled in Buenos Aires at 10:30 a.m. local time, said Judy Orihuela, an FBI spokeswoman in Miami.

"No information at this time indicates it's a terrorist incident. But, of course, the FBI is investigating," said Gordon Johndroe, spokesman for President Bush's Homeland Security Council.

United Airlines Flight 855 took off from Miami at midnight with 142 passengers and 15 crew members. The flight originated in San Francisco but Moreira boarded in Miami.

The 28-year-old Uruguayan began kicking the cockpit door of the Boeing 777 about five hours into the flight, as the jetliner flew over Brazil, Orihuela said.

He kicked in a small breakaway panel across the bottom half of the door and then stuck his head inside the cockpit, said United spokeswoman Chris Nardella.

At that point, one of the pilots grabbed a small ax and hit Moreira in the head, subduing him, she said.

"The passenger never gained full entry due to the reinforced cockpit door bar United has installed on all of its fleet," Chairman and CEO Jack Creighton said in a statement.

Motive unclear

Moreira did not appear drunk and was not armed, Orihuela said. She said she was unaware of any threats or what prompted him to try to enter the cockpit.

Moreira, who was lucid and in stable condition, was restrained for the remainder of the flight but was provided medical attention, the airline and the FBI said. A flight attendant also received minor injuries in the struggle, Orihuela said.

He was turned over to local authorities in Argentina, where he was to be charged with interfering with a flight crew and flown back to Miami Thursday, Orihuela said.

Brian Hopman, an Associated Press sales associate who was a passenger on the flight, said the man seemed as if he wanted to talk to the pilot and approached the cockpit, prompting the crew to react quickly.

"There was a huge panic," said Hopman, who was seated about halfway back in the plane. "Red lights were flashing and an army of people rushed forward to the front of the plane."

Hopman said he could not see all that was unfolding. But he said the man was quickly overpowered near the cockpit and the crew then closed the curtains on the business class section for the remainder of the flight.

"He was handcuffed by the pilots with the help of passengers, and when we landed Argentine troops arrested him," said Hopman, adding the last hours of the flight across South America proceeded normally.

"It was pretty much business as usual after the incident," he added. "We had meals and people got up and walked around. They just said, 'Do not go into the business cabin."'

In his statement, Creighton said Moreira "was processed to the fullest extent of United's security procedures prior to boarding the aircraft."

"It is regrettable that our pilots, flight attendants and any passengers had to take these actions, but the cockpit door reinforcement and the quick action of the flight crew allowed the flight to land safely in Buenos Aires," he said.