Southwest Airlines passenger hospitalised after climbing onto plane wing

Video appeared to show the passenger sprinting across the tarmac and being tackled to the ground by airport staff

A TikTok video appears to show the unknown passenger being detained by airport staff (zedweb08 via TikTok)

An airline passenger in New Orleans has been taken to hospital after climbing out onto the wing of his grounded plane and leading baggage crews on a chase.

Police in the Big Easy said they had detained a 38-year-old man after he suffered a "mental health emergency" aboard a Southwest Airlines flight at Louis Armstrong International Airport on Sunday night.

While the plane was still waiting at the terminal, the man allegedly popped the emergency hatch, climbed onto the wing, and jumped to the ground, before being subdued by ground crew.

"When deputies made contact with the man, they found he was incoherent and not fully aware of his surroundings," said a spokesperson for the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.

"There is no indication that the man left anything on the plane, nor was he found in possession of any weapons of any type.

The Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said the man is not expected to face criminal charges locally, but that they had referred the case to federal authorities.

A video posted on TikTok appears to show commotion and shouting inside the plane.

The passengers then hustle off the plane via a covered gangway, only to watch through the terminal windows as the man sprints across the tarmac, attempts to commandeer an airport truck. Ground staff in hi-visibility jackets tackle to the ground by staff.

The man who posted the video said he had started recording because the man was arguing with other passengers, and that he feared the man had placed a bomb on the plane before leaving.

"Oh my god, I've never been so scared. I was literally one seat away from him," the man can be heard telling another passenger.

The kerfuffle reportedly delayed passengers from reaching Atlanta for around three hours at the end of the Thanksgiving weekend, one of the busiest times in the US travel calendar, when many Americans were returning home after visiting their families.

A spokesperson for Southwest said: "We commend our flight and ground crews for their swift action and apologise to our customers for their inconvenience."