California Man Pleads Guilty To Interference With A Flight Crew

Bryan Ray Allen, 32, of San Juan Capistrano, California, faces an agreed sentence of forty-eight (48) months in federal prison after admitting to interference with a flight crew, United States Attorney Robert Pitman, FBI Special Agent in Charge Mark Morgan, El Paso Division, and Midland Police Chief Price Robinson announced today.

Appearing in United States District Court before Judge Robert Junell in Midland this afternoon, Allen pleaded guilty to one count of interference with a flight crew.  According to the factual basis filed in the case, on May 23, 2013, Allen boarded Southwest Airlines flight 863 in Los Angeles, California, with a final destination of Dallas, Texas.  The flight had stops in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Midland, Texas. Allen admitted that in the twenty-four hours before the flight he smoked methamphetamine twice and drank whiskey at the airport.  On the flight from Las Vegas to Midland, Allen began hallucinating.  He believed the pilots of the plane were evil and that it was a “plane ride to hell”.  Allen felt he needed to either get off the plane or get into the cockpit to stop the pilots.  As the plane began its descent into Midland, after all the passengers were instructed to remain seated, Allen approached the cockpit door, ignoring flight crew instructions to return to his seat and attempted multiple times to enter the cockpit.  Once the plane landed, Allen pushed a flight attendant out of the way of the cabin door and ran up the jet way ramp into the airport where he was met by Midland Police Department officers who had to physically subdue him. 

Allen has been and will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals pending a sentencing hearing on October 10, 2013, before United States District Judge Robert A. Junell in Midland.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Midland Police Department.  Assistant United States Attorney V. LaTawn Warsaw is prosecuting this case on behalf of the Government.