Airline Passenger Busted Over Mid-Flight Attack That Forced Emergency Landing

A woman has been arrested after allegedly attacking at least one crew member on a plane and forcing an emergency landing. Tracy Barkhimer, 61, from White Salmon, Washington, was taken into custody Tuesday after causing a disturbance on an Alaska Airlines flight, police say. Officers claim she had shown “erratic behavior” and struck two members of staff. Flight AS1057 had taken off from Portland, Oregon, and was en route to Dallas, Texas. However, the incident forced an emergency landing at Boise Airport in Idaho. Barkhimer was removed from the Boeing 737 MAX 9 “without incident,” the New York Post reports. She was booked at Ada County Jail on two counts of misdemeanor battery. The plane took off from Idaho with a 90-minute delay. Two people signed an affidavit, and police say two crew members were attacked. However, the airline says that only one crew member was attacked. The Daily Beast has contacted Alaska Airlines for clarification. It said in a statement: “At Alaska Airlines, safety is our number one priority, and we do not tolerate violence of any kind against our employees. We are grateful to our crew for their professionalism, and we apologize for any concern or inconvenience this situation caused.”