The panic began when a pilot reportedly heard knocking on the cockpit door and was unable to contact his crew. Thinking someone was attempting to break into the cockpit, he chose to make an emergency landing, USA Today reports.

Case files obtained by KGW capture the struggle in the cockpit and the moments leading to Joseph Emerson’s arrest.

WASHINGTON — An American Airlines flight, operated by SkyWest Airlines, made an emergency landing Monday night in Nebraska, after the pilots could not reach the flight attendants and heard someone outside the cockpit door, according to the Federal ...