Passenger falls asleep, wakes up inside empty locked plane

A passenger on a United Express plane fell asleep during a recent flight and woke up in the dark, locked aboard the aircraft. He thought he was dreaming, he told the ABC affiliate in Houston.

Tom Wagner told KTRK-TV he was flying from Louisiana to California on Friday night. There was a layover in Houston, he said, so he took off his hat, settled in and fell fast asleep.

Apparently, he was entirely overlooked in his window seat near the back of the plane. He said that after waking up to “pitch black,” he phoned his girlfriend, who was incredulous.

It was a chilly, dark half-hour before workers arrived; they were surprised to find Wagner aboard.

Expressjet Airlines, the company that operates the plane as a United Express partner, told the news outlet it offered an apology to Wagner and was investigating the incident.

Wagner said he was rattled. What if he’d had a medical problem? he asked.