Troopers say teen arrested for taking control of flight

BETHEL, ALASKA >> A 16-year-old boy was arrested after he briefly took control of a small plane during a short commercial flight over western Alaska, authorities said.

The teen was in the front passenger seat of a Piper Cherokee Six on a recent Yute Commuter Service flight from Napakiak to Bethel that usually takes about four minutes, KYUK-AM reported last week.

The teen grabbed the aircraft controls shortly after takeoff, causing the “plane to enter a steep climb and then a dive toward the ground,” Alaska State Troopers said.

A woman sitting behind the teen grabbed him around the neck, pulling him away from the controls, authorities said. The pilot stabilized the aircraft and returned to Napakiak.

An agent for the regional airline contacted the village public safety officer to detain the teen. He slipped away before the officer could take him into custody but was arrested the next day in Bethel.