The CEO of Butte relates how a rowdy passenger on the trip to Bozeman prompted an emergency landing

Butte, Montana – Up until the penultimate leg of the flight, Butte Chief Executive J.P. Gallagher and his family were enjoying a comfortable return trip to Montana following a leisurely trip to Cozumel.

“This is great. We actually hit every one of our connecting flights, we’re going to get in town the way we thought we were, I’m going to make council meeting Wednesday night, and then all hell broke loose,” said Gallagher.

On the American Airlines trip from Dallas to Bozeman on Wednesday afternoon, a customer attacked a flight attendant. Gallagher’s wife Erna captured the incident on camera.

“Sir! Stop! What the hell do you think you’re doing?” the flight attendant is heard yelling in the video.

The man was swiftly restrained by the attendant and a few passengers, leading to the flight being rerouted to Amarillo.

“I could hear the scrambling and a few cuss words coming out of peoples’ mouths, words I won’t say on TV, but it was a crazy scenario,” Gallagher said.

Keith Fagiana was the passenger the FAA identified as possibly involved in the incident. According to Gallagher, he saw nothing unusual before the incident.

“People kind of suspected he was drunk or on something and he was having, you know, like a mental breakdown or something that happened at that time,” he said.

According to Gallagher, the situation was extremely unsettling at the time.

“You know, it’s the unknown. Was there something that was found? Or somebody making threats with a weapon? It was a little unnerving, but for the most part, you know, it seemed like everything got under control really quick,” he said.

Although the event caused a seven-hour delay in his return to Montana, Gallagher was relieved that no one was gravely injured.

“I talked to the flight attendant and he seemed to be fine. I think a little shaken like anyone would be, you know, but I think they must train the flight attendants well, you know, they were ready,” said Gallagher.

According to the CEO, he won’t let this experience stop him from booking more flights.