by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 8:45 AM ET, Sat May 30, 2026
United Airlines Flight 2005 from Chicago to Minneapolis was diverted to Madison, Wisconsin, on Friday, May 30, after pilots reported a passenger attempting to enter the cockpit.
Milwaukee news station WISN reported the news, noting that the airline's spokesperson told them only that "a security concern with an unruly passenger" prompted the pilots to land at Dane County Regional Airport around 9:30 p.m. on Friday, where regional police arrested the passenger.
Airport audio recordings hint at a more serious investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation: "Don't think they were able to cuff him but were able to get control of him after multiple attempts to try to breach the cockpit," WISN reports someone in the audio recording saying. "He is seated in a seat and flanked by law enforcement officers on either side."
Crimes committed in the air are often prosecuted as federal offenses, since commercial aircraft are considered public transportation. Federal offenses often lead to harsher fines and longer sentences.
Over 140 people, including six crew members, were on board the Boeing 737-900 aircraft, which took off from Madison after the passenger's arrest, landing in Minneapolis around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday.
"FBI Milwaukee's Madison Resident Agency and law enforcement partners responded immediately," explained FBI Milwaukee Field Office spokesperson Caroline Clancy. "A subject was detained by the Dane County Sheriff's Office and afterwards, passengers resumed their flight."
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