Air China Flight 1350 was forced to make an emergency landing at Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport, after a 41 year old passenger with the last name Xu, held one of the flight attendants hostage in the galley. It’s unclear whether he had a knife or a fountain pen that he was using, but investigations show he has a history of mental illness.

The Airbus 321 aircraft was enroute from Changsha to Beijing, and passengers reported hearing screens from the forward part of the aircraft, where the flight attendant was. Upon arrival, the aircraft was met with police, fire trucks, and armed police officers. You can view some photos captured from social media of this tragic incident.

Per ABC,

A plane passenger has threatened a flight attendant with a fountain pen, forcing an Air China flight bound for Beijing to make an unscheduled landing, according to the country’s civil aviation authority.

In a brief statement on its website, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said a male passenger, who it did not identify, on Air China Flight 1350 attempted to use the pen to hold the flight attendant “under duress”.

The flight took off from Changsha, the capital of southern Hunan province, at 8:40am (local time) and was scheduled to arrive at Beijing Capital International Airport at about 11:00am, according to local media reports and flight tracking websites.

Hat Tip: View from the Wing