American Airlines horror: Unruly passenger bites man mid-flight as pilot says, 'Don't know if he's hallucinating...'

A passenger allegedly bit another flyer and became aggressive on an American Airlines flight before landing safely in Philadelphia.

A passenger on an American Airlines flight heading to Philadelphia caused a disturbance in the final minutes of the journey after allegedly biting another traveler and trying to fight people on board. The incident happened Sunday on a flight from Charlotte, North Carolina. According to air traffic control audio reviewed by CBS News, the pilot alerted authorities before landing and requested police and medical teams to meet the aircraft as a precaution.

Unruly passenger bites man on American Airlines flight. (Bloomberg)

American Airlines crew requested medical and police assistance

The incident happened as the aircraft was nearing Philadelphia International Airport. In air traffic control audio reviewed by CBS News, the pilot described a passenger who appeared to be acting aggressively toward others on the plane.

“I don’t know … if he’s hallucinating or whatever, but he just bit a passenger and he’s trying to fight everybody. What a day, huh.”

The pilot then asked for emergency medical personnel and law enforcement officers to be waiting when the flight arrived.

American Airlines later told CBS News that the passenger was experiencing a medical emergency. The airline said a medical professional who happened to be on board stepped in and assisted the passenger before the aircraft landed safely.

The airline also confirmed that medical teams met the passenger after arrival. However, American Airlines did not say whether police officers were present when the plane reached the gate. Flight tracking website FlightAware showed that the flight landed in Philadelphia shortly before 10 a.m. Eastern Time.

Recent weeks have seen several disruptive incidents on U.S. flights

The Philadelphia incident comes amid a series of passenger disturbances reported on commercial flights in recent weeks. Earlier this month, a Frontier Airlines flight traveling from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Chicago was diverted to Miami after a passenger allegedly tried to open an exit door during the flight. The Federal Aviation Administration said the diversion was caused by a passenger disturbance.

In another case, a United Airlines flight traveling from Newark to Guatemala City made an emergency landing in Washington, D.C., after a passenger allegedly attempted to open a door while the aircraft was at cruising altitude.

A separate United flight from Chicago to Minneapolis was also diverted after a 75-year-old passenger experienced what authorities described as a mental health crisis that raised security concerns on board. The FBI later opened an investigation into the incident.