Prison Flight Turns Chaotic: Window Smashed, Tempers Flare

A prison transport flight from Auckland to Wellington was forced to abort its journey following an incident involving unruly passengers. The charter flight, carrying eight women, was disrupted when one of them damaged an interior window, leading to a swift return to the departure airport.

Early Unrest

Before the flight even took off, the behavior of some prisoners caused issues. According to a redacted Department of Corrections report, five of the women showed resistance during handcuffing and when handling their belongings. This active resistance continued as they were escorted to the vehicles heading to the airport.

Even as the women boarded the plane, some continued to resist staff instructions. The window was broken at roughly 10:15 am, when the aircraft was approximately 5,000 feet in the air.

Mid-Air Incident

Once alerted to the damage, the pilot decided to return the plane to Auckland Airport. The broken inner window did not cause air to enter the cabin. Another prisoner damaged a chair armrest during the flight.

The report also disclosed that one prisoner verbally abused a prison officer. Furthermore, one person’s hair was pulled, but the victim’s identity remains unclear.

No staff members sustained injuries during the in-flight disturbance. However, the prisoner who broke the window suffered a cut finger. The prison sent additional staff to the airport to aid with the plane’s landing, where further incidents unfolded.

“Safety is our number one priority and we have a robust system in place to ensure prisoners can be safely transported between prisons, courts, specialist medical facilities and rehabilitation providers.”

—Leigh Marsh, Corrections commissioner for custodial services

Aftermath and Review

Internal prison misconduct charges will be filed as a consequence of the events. A debrief identified that prison staff did a commendable job calming the prisoners. Leigh Marsh, the Corrections commissioner for custodial services, stated that similar occurrences have not been seen since February.

Each year, corrections staff conduct tens of thousands of prisoner escorts without any issues. A thorough risk assessment is performed for every prisoner escort. Safety measures are implemented to mitigate possible safety risks, according to Marsh. He said the behavior on the charter flight was unacceptable and that staff acted appropriately to de-escalate the situation. A complete review of the incident is underway to identify areas where procedures can be further strengthened.

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 2022, there were 520,000 people held in state and federal prisons across the U.S. (Source).