Armed police storm plane after mystery ‘banging’ sounds are heard by passengers while 30,000 feet in the air

Passengers onboard an American Airlines plane had their journey take a turn for the terrifying when mysterious banging sounds led to an emergency landing and armed police storming the aircraft.

Holidaymakers flying to New York from the Argentine capital Buenos Aires were forced to return just 400 miles into the 5,300-mile journey, after a mysterious sound was heard from inside the cargo hold.

Police greeted the horrified passengers once the plane touched down (X/nanudandrea)

According to the Express, a journalist told local radio station Cardena 3 that the pilot initially explained the plane had turned around due to a technical issue, before admitting the crew were afraid someone could be trapped inside the baggage hold.

The plane was a little past Cordoba, in the heart of Argentina and roughly an hour and a half away, when it was forced to turn around - meaning the round journey took about three hours.

Upon arriving back at the Ministro Pistarini International Airport, an Argentinian SWAT team raided the baggage hold as they searched for the culprit

Equipo comando entrando a la bodega del avión! pic.twitter.com/HjWMyhsS17

— Señora de Snoopy (@nanudandrea) November 1, 2024

Local newspaper Clarín reported Special Tactical Assault Group (GEAT), the Explosives and Special Weapons Control Group (GEDEX), and the Canine Technology Binomial all met the plane on its return - only to find no one inside the cargo hold or any indication of where the noise was coming from.

Footage taken from anxious passengers showed heavily armed officers, one holding what looked like an armored riot shield, with the rest equipped with firearms as they stormed the hold with sniffer dogs joining later.

The incident happened on Thursday (October 31), and it caused such a delay that the 243 passengers onboard all had to be put up in a hotel and had to wait until the following day to fly to the US.

The plane had to complete a U-turn to land back at its starting point (Flight Radar 24)

Ministro Pistarini International Airport's security released the following statement: "Noises were heard in the cargo hold, enough to give rise to suspicions that there was something unusual.

"The captain referred to a security problem due to hearing noises."

Videos taken showed how cops rushed the luggage hold, by being carried up on a lift that is used to help load baggage.

A spokesperson for the force said per Metro: "‘The hold was opened and the unloading of the luggage containers began, without anything outside the normal parameters being seen at the time."

As for what caused the banging sounds? Looks like we might never know.

LADbible Group has contacted American Airlines for a comment.

• Air traffic control audio captured the moment two planes almost collided while approaching airport