Airport worker falls asleep in hold as plane takes off

The airport worker’s shift started at 5am, and ended with an unfortunate nap in the cargo hold of a departing Alaska Airlines flight bound for Los Angeles.

When he realised what was happening, his banging for help could be heard by the pilots and first-class passengers aboard Flight 448.

The plane had just taken off on Monday afternoon when the pounding noise from down below started, the airline said. The captain immediately returned to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and declared an emergency for priority landing. The plane was airborne for 14 minutes.

After the plane landed, a ramp worker came out of the cargo hold, which Alaska said is pressurised and temperature controlled. “He told authorities he had fallen asleep,” the airline said.

The man, an employee of Alaska contractor Menzies Aviation, walked off the plane. He was initially checked by medics at the airport and found to be unhurt, airport spokesman Perry Cooper said.

The man was also checked at a hospital and released, the airline said. After his release from the hospital, he passed a drug test, airline spokesman Bryan Zidar said. The airline did not identify the worker. A Menzies spokesman did not immediately return an email request for comment and details about the employee.

The man started work at 5am and was due off at 2.30pm, the airline said in a statement. He had been part of a four-person team loading baggage onto the flight, which initially departed at 2.39pm.

Before the plane departed, the leader of the man’s team noticed he was missing, called into the cargo hold for him, and called and texted the man’s phone but got no answer, the airline said.