A man who attempted to storm the cockpit of a United Airlines flight, assaulted a flight attendant and then activated the emergency slide before jumping to the ground and breaking his leg as the plane was taxiing at Los Angeles International Airport has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison.
Luis Armando Victoria Dominguez, 34, of La Paz, Mexico, was sentenced on Wednesday after pleading guilty to a single count of interfering with a flight attendant following the June 25, 2021 incident. Dominguez had faced a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment.
United Airlines flight UA5365, operated by SkyWest Airlines under the United Express brand, had pushed back from the gate and was taxiing to the runway when Dominguez got out of his seat and “sprinted” towards the front of the plane.
An FBI affidavit described how Dominguez started banging on the locked cockpit door and “manipulating” the doorknob. When he realized he couldn’t get into the cockpit, Dominguez pushed past a flight attendant and tried to open an emergency exit.
Dominguez managed to partially open the cabin door, and because the exit was ‘armed’ for departure, the slide partially inflated.
At this point, one of the other passengers attempted to restrain Dominguez, but he managed to break free and jumped out the open exit door. Dominguez missed the slide and instead fell all the way onto tarmac below.
“He began crawling away from the aircraft. His right leg appeared broken,” the FBI affidavit explained.
His “unruly conduct damaged the plane, taking it out of commission for four days,” the affidavit continued.
