Southwest Airlines passenger hospitalized after opening emergency exit and climbing onto wing, officials say

A Southwest Airlines passenger has been taken to a hospital for an evaluation after he opened the plane’s emergency exit hatch and exited onto the plane’s wing on Sunday, officials said.

The incident happened at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport as the plane was still at the skyway and was not moving, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office said.

It’s not clear what prompted the passenger to open the emergency exit.

“He was caught on the tarmac, and transported to a local hospital for evaluation,” the sheriff’s office said. Officials didn’t disclose the nature of the hospitalization.

NBC News has reached out to the sheriff’s office for more details.

There are no criminal charges in connection with the incident and the investigation has been referred to federal authorities, according to the sheriff’s office.

Southwest Airlines said that after a brief delay, the flight eventually departed to Atlanta and continued to its final destination of Baltimore.

“We commend our flight and ground crews for their swift action and apologize to our customers for their inconvenience,” the airline said.

The airport confirmed that there was an incident involving “a Southwest Airlines passenger’s unauthorized deplaning of the aircraft,” but deferred further comment to the sheriff’s office.

Marlene Lenthang

Breaking News Reporter