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A man has been taken into custody after breaching the runway at 
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) and causing disruption to departing flights. The individual was reportedly experiencing a mental health episode and was taken to the hospital for further evaluation.
The incident was captured by passengers and on air traffic control (ATC) recordings, revealing that an 
American Airlines pilot was the first one to spot the man. Unauthorized access to a runway is a major safety concern, particularly at a busy airport like PHX.
Man Runs Around Phoenix Sky Harbor Runway
As reported by ABC15, the incident occurred at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport at around 5:15 PM local time on Monday evening as the airport’s operations were in full swing. The man somehow gained access to the airfield before he was spotted by an American Airlines pilot on Flight AA1804 heading to Tampa. This aircraft was navigating a taxiway as it prepared for departure when the pilot radioed the tower asking if they could “see the guy over there by Gulf 1?“
Gulf 1 is a taxiway located on the south side of the airfield near two runways, 07L/25R and 07R/25L. According to the American Airlines pilot, the man started “waving his arms” at the aircraft before approaching the hold-short line. Passengers on planes waiting to take off were also shocked to see the man running wildly around the active runway. As per ATC recordings from theATCapp, one pilot said,
“He’s running towards the aircraft right now. Now he’s on his knees begging us to do something.”
Individual Sent To Hospital
The tower ordered the American Airlines flight to hold its position while it called ground teams to intercept the individual. The man is said to have disrupted multiple other flights waiting on the taxiway, which included at least two Southwest Airlines aircraft. Phoenix police said they were called to the airport before 6:00 PM to deal with reports of an individual on the runway.
Authorities were able to subdue the man and ultimately remove him from the airfield. Video footage taken by a passenger shows two police officers on the ground restraining a man in a white T-shirt. Early reports suggest the man was undergoing a mental health crisis, as he was transported to a local hospital for additional evaluation.
Operations at the airport were not significantly impacted, with American Flight 1804 departing just a few minutes later. Simple Flying has reached out to PHX for comment on this incident and will update this story accordingly.
DoorDash Driver Mistakenly Enters Unauthorized Grounds At Chicago O’Hare Before Being Spotted By ATC
Authorities later determined that the intrusion was unintentional, and no charges were filed.
How Did Someone Enter An Active Airfield?
An investigation is underway to determine how exactly this man entered the airport grounds. According to 12 News, a suspicious vehicle was found next to the airport perimeter and later removed by authorities, suggesting he was not a ticketed passenger. Although airfields are highly secure areas with strict access rules, there have been several breaches at major US airports in recent years.
One recent incident involved a high-speed sedan racing past aircraft on a taxiway, which was later discovered to be a contractor working at the airport. In another case, a DoorDash delivery driver accidentally entered an off-limits area at Chicago O’Hare International Airport after taking an order from a customer at the airport. The driver entered through a gate and traversed a significant portion of the airside area before parking near a United Airlines widebody jet.
Ticketed passengers have also found their way onto the runway, including an incident in Salt Lake City in 2024 when a man was sucked into a jet engine. 30-year-old Kyler Efinger was also suffering a mental health episode when he broke through a fire escape and ran towards a Delta Air Lines A220 spooling up its engines.
