Flight 954, operated by American Airlines, had taken off from Buenos Aires, Argentina, at 9:15 am on Thursday (31 October) and was headed to New York.
However, during the flight, passengers and crew heard loud and concerning banging sounds while the plane was cruising at an altitude of 30,000 feet.
As a result, the flight was redirected back to Ezeiza International Airport, located in the Argentinian capital.
Footage taken by passengers captured the strange event, showing how tense the atmosphere was as reports spread about a ‘pounding noise’ that seemed to be coming from the cargo hold.
According to the Daily Mail, it almost sounded as though someone was stuck inside the hold.
However, while in the air, the cargo hold could not be checked as it is sealed during flight.
Once the plane landed, police, alongside the Special Tactical Assault Group, the Explosives and Special Weapons Control Group, and the Canine Technology Binomial, began their search.
Additional support came from the National Civil Aviation Administration and PFA firefighters, as well as health officials.
Emergency services noted: “The hold was opened and the unloading of the luggage containers began, without anything outside the normal parameters being seen at the time.”
Due to the length of time spent on the search, the flight was ultimately cancelled because the cabin crew had reached the limit of their allowable working hours.
The statement read: “Reports of a person in cargo are not accurate.”
“Flight 954 returned to Buenos Aires due to a reported noise in the cargo hold, but after a thorough search, it was determined there was no issue. Our customers will be re-departing later today and we apologize for the inconvenience.”
Flight 954 was rescheduled, but the source of the ‘banging noise’ reported by those onboard remained a mystery.
American Airlines provided a statement to The Mirror, saying: “Safety is our top priority and we thank our crew members for their professionalism and our customers for their understanding.”
