San Diegan Accused in Assault Case Aboard Jet Is Freed on $5,000 Bail

A 24-year-old San Diego man was freed on $5,000 bail Monday after being charged in Kansas with assaulting a flight attendant during a weekend USAir flight from San Diego to Pittsburgh.

Kenneth Conrad Swanson, a night manager of a motel, was arrested when the pilot made an unscheduled landing at Kansas City International Airport in Kansas City, Mo., Saturday night.

Authorities said Swanson tried to enter the cockpit and then attempted to force open the galley service door. He was subdued by crew members.

Swanson is charged with one felony--assaulting, intimidating, threatening and interfering with a flight attendant, said Max Geiman, a spokesman in the FBI’s Kansas City office.

“From the acts he accomplished, the passengers were in no danger,” Geiman said. “The most he achieved was setting off an alarm that showed somebody was tampering with the door. But if he had gotten the door open, it would have been very serious consequences.”

79 Passengers Aboard

Swanson was aboard USAir Flight 620, which left San Diego at 10:40 p.m. Friday with 79 passengers. Shortly after 3 a.m., while the plane was flying over central Kansas at 37,000 feet, Swanson tried to open the doors, Geiman said.

“The flight attendants noticed a man walking from the rear of the plane up the aisle toward the regular passenger door,” he said. “The flight attendants became concerned when Swanson rapped on the cockpit door.

“They came upon him and found him to be making an effort to move the door latch to open the door,” Geiman said. “He was then restrained by flight attendants and physically forced to sit in his seat.”

Once subdued, Geiman said, Swanson got out of his seat again and tried to open the galley service door before being stopped by flight attendants with the help of a passenger.

Swanson had to be held in his seat until the plane landed, Geiman said, adding that the landing was made to protect the other passengers.

Because the alleged offense occurred over Kansas, Swanson was taken to Wyandotte County Jail in Kansas City, Kan., where he was held until his release.

“There was no indication that the passengers panicked,” Geiman said. “Some of them observed the action from where they were sitting, but no one was hurt. However, I think they became more upset with the long layover.”

Dave Shipley, a spokesman for USAir in Washington, said the passengers were never in immediate danger during the incident.

Service Door Pressurized

“The cockpit door was locked and the galley service door is pressurized and will not open while the plane is in the air,” Shipley said.

Geiman would not confirm whether Swanson was drunk, but he did say that a breath test was administered to the San Diego man and a bottle of liquor was found in a carry-on bag.

Swanson was on the flight to visit relatives in his hometown of State College, Pa.

Swanson is scheduled to appear Thursday before a U.S. magistrate in Kansas City, Kan. If convicted, Swanson faces 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.