An uneven act by a passenger on an Alaska Airlines flight sparked a chaotic scene when he allegedly tried to pry open a cabin door during the trip, court filings say.
Kassian William Fredericks was aboard Alaska Airlines flight 87 from Deadhorse to Anchorage last Wednesday when he rushed to a rear cabin door and attempted to force it open, according to a probable‑cause affidavit from the FBI that The Post obtained.
A seat‑mate who had just used the lavatory returned only to find Fredericks “aggressively trying to open the rear cabin door,” the affidavit reads. He had already lifted the door’s latch when the passenger ran over to grab him.
The fellow passenger shouted for help, and two other men swooped in to hold Fredericks down and seat him back into his chair.
While still upright, Fredericks kept insisting he “needs to call my mom” and even begged for a cigarette, documents claim.
“I don’t know how to break the window; I don’t know how to break it,” he told one of the men before saying he’d opened the door because he “needed air and to get out of here.”
Throughout the exchange, Fredericks was visibly shaking, the affidavit notes.
Earlier on the flight, the same passenger heard him shout, “Stop the plane, stop the plane,” while turning his head toward the aircraft. When asked if he was okay, Fredericks replied, “They’re flying the plane from back here,” then added, “No, they’re invisible. They’re trying to take over the plane. You got to stop them.”
The rescuer also saw Fredericks swallow a pill and sip Gatorade, hoping it might calm him, but the man’s behavior grew more erratic, the documents say.
The crew told authorities they did not think Fredericks was intoxicated but had noted his odd conduct and shaking, which could have been a medical issue.
When it became clear he’d tried to jolt open the door, the crew considered using zip ties but dismissed it as potentially escalating the situation.
The affidavit explains that while physically impossible to open a cabin door mid‑flight because of air pressure, the attempt could have triggered an emergency slide to deploy, endangering passengers.
The pilot reached out to ground controllers, prompting the FBI to arrive, and Fredericks was removed from the aircraft when it landed in Anchorage.
He reportedly apologized to crew members and seemed to calm down once he was escorted off.
At the hospital, a police officer heard Fredericks confess to a doctor that he had been drinking alcohol for a long stretch, was seeing and hearing things, and “could not remember the last two years of his life.” He also told the doctor he was taking Trazodone, a medication for depression, anxiety, and insomnia.
Alaska Airlines issued a statement saying Fredericks had been banned from future flights.
A spokesperson explained: “A passenger on Alaska Airlines Flight 87 from Deadhorse to Anchorage displayed erratic behavior and attempted to open one of the emergency doors. The passenger was intercepted and restrained until the aircraft landed safely in Anchorage, where law enforcement and EMTs were ready.”
The airline added that it appreciated the crew’s professionalism and apologized for any concern caused.
Fredericks was subsequently arrested and faces up to twenty years in prison if charged with interfering with flight crew members.
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