Southwest Airlines passenger restrained and arrested after refusing to turn off his cell phone
An altercation broke out on a Southwest Airlines flight after a passenger refused to turn off his cell phone.
The incident occurred on Monday as the flight from Phoenix was coming into El Paso.
Southwest Airlines spokeswoman Whitney Eichinger said the man turned his cell phone on as the flight was landing.
Arrested: The man was held on arrival at El Paso
Miss Eichinger says when the man was asked to turn his phone off, he did not and when the plane pulled up to the gate, El Paso authorities met the aircraft.
The passenger was restrained on board, she added.
El Paso International Airport spokesman Jeff Schultes said officials interviewed witnesses who were onboard the flight.
The man's name and other details were not released, the Associated Press reports.
Using just one mobile phone or electronic device during a flight can cause a plane’s systems to shut down, according to a study earlier this summer.
Disruption: Mobile devices can play havoc with a plane's instruments
The instruments which guide pilots in bad weather can also be affected by the electrical signals from such devices - with potentially catastrophic consequences.
A confidential study by the the International Air Transport Association, a trade group representing more 230 passenger and cargo airlines worldwide, found that over six years there were 75 separate incidents which caused concern.
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