Armed police stormed a grounded American Airlines flight after an unexplained banging noise was heard on board. The sound was reported at around 30,000ft on the flight from Ezeiza International Airport in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Despite efforts, the crew could not locate the source of the noise, leading to police being alerted about a potential threat. The pilot rerouted the New York-bound flight and made an emergency landing.

Flight 954 took off at 9.15pm on Thursday (October 31) with an expected arrival time of 6.50am on Friday (November 1). However, while flying over Córdoba, the aircraft abruptly returned to Buenos Aires for an urgent landing.

Panic ensued when crew and passengers heard noises they believed might have been caused by someone trapped in the cargo hold. A journalist on the flight told Cadena 3 radio that the pilot initially cited a technical issue for the return before suggesting the possibility of a person stuck in the cargo bay.

American Airlines has since confirmed that no one was found in the cargo hold following a thorough search. Argentina’s leading newspaper, Clarín, reported the deployment of the Special Tactical Assault Group (GEAT), the Explosives and Special Weapons Control Group (GEDEX), and the Canine Technology Binomial to handle the situation, reports the Daily Star. 

The National Civil Aviation Administration (ANAC), PFA Firefighters, and medical personnel were all present during a meticulous operation. Despite an extensive search of the aircraft cargo holds following a security alert, reports indicated “negative results” with no traces of danger found.

Emergency responders commented: “The hold was opened and the unloading of the luggage containers began, without anything outside the normal parameters being seen at the time.”

Unfortunately, passengers were left disgruntled as the flight was cancelled due to the crew having gone over their legal working hours. American Airlines swiftly organised a rescheduled flight.

Passenger frustration boiled over as they described spending grueling hours on board before receiving an explanation for the delay. One traveller remarked on the peculiarity of the situation, claiming it felt “unusual” and akin to something “straight out of a movie”, while another voiced that the whole affair was unnerving and described it as “scary”.

By the week’s end, American Airlines cleared up the confusion with a statement asserting the aircraft had no problems, emphasising: “Reports of a person in cargo are not accurate.”