A 20-year-old Canadian man flying from Newark to Toronto on Sunday did his best to break into the plane's flight deck by ramming himself into the cockpit's door — twice. And when his scheme failed, he locked himself in the plane's bathroom for 15 minutes to have himself a smoke. The flight was forced to land near Scranton, PA, and, naturally, the young gentleman was later arrested.
From Paddle Your Own Kanoo:
In a newly filed affidavit, an FBI agent investigating the incident alleges [Sebastian] Bien-Aine got out of his seat immediately after takeoff and while the small Dash 8 turbo-prop regional aircraft was still in its initial climb out of Newark.
Witnesses claim Bien-Aine "charged" towards the flight deck and tried to open door but found it had already been secured shut by the pilots. A flight attendant "directed" Bien-Aine back to his seat but moments later he got back up and charged towards the flight deck for a second try. …
When he eventually came out [of the bathroom], flight attendants saw smoke and ashes on the floor, and detected a strong smell of cigarettes. At this point, the Captain decided to land the aircraft at the nearest airport and Bien-Aine was taken into custody by local law enforcement.
The man faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
