A 25-year-old Houston man is accused of using a fake boarding pass to board a United Airlines flight at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in mid-May, then hiding in a restroom as the plane taxied toward the runway, according to court documents.
The incident occurred on May 18 on a flight bound for Los Angeles. A passenger alerted a flight attendant that the man was in the restroom, and the plane was forced to return to the gate before it could take off, according to authorities.
The man was charged last week with impairing or interrupting operation of a critical infrastructure facility. A message seeking comment was left with his attorney Monday.
According to a criminal complaint, surveillance cameras showed the man first having trouble with his boarding pass at a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint when he arrived at the Houston airport early on May 18. He was eventually screened at the checkpoint and then tried to board a different flight to Los Angeles, but he was turned away when he tried to scan his pass, the complaint said.
The incident is the latest in a series of security-related disruptions at U.S. airports in recent months. MSI previously reported that a man was arrested at Sacramento International Airport on June 4 after prosecutors said he brought a bomb to the airport.