Airplane Passenger Accused of Homophobic Mid-Flight Attack

A first-class passenger on a flight from Atlanta to Phoenix called a flight attendant a "fag" and a "queer" before throwing a cup of ice at the attendant and then hitting him with a plane telephone, according to The Daily Beast.

An FBI affidavit unsealed Monday and first reported by the outlet states that Christopher Alexander Morgan was arrested when Delta Air Lines flight 2908 landed on April 22 at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Morgan has been charged with interfering with flight crew members or attendants, which the Beast notes is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Morgan reclined his seat completely and would not put his seatbelt on, according to the affidavit. When two flight attendants asked Morgan to put his seat up before takeoff, he refused. After the plane was en route, Morgan asked for and received an alcoholic drink. He requested a second, but the flight attendant -- identified only as "H.D." -- offered him a non-alcoholic one. This "angered Morgan" the affidavit says.

"Morgan called H.D. the f-word and a 'queer' and threw a glass of ice at H.D.," the affidavit alleges. "When passenger R.O., who was sitting in seat 2G, said something to Morgan to deescalate Morgan's display of aggression, Morgan became angry with the passenger R.O. and held the glass he was holding up to R.O.'s face."

H.D. then went to call the captain to inform him about what was taking place.

"According to H.D., Morgan then got out of his seat, grabbed the telephone from H.D., and hit H.D. in the chest with the telephone," the affidavit states, according to the Beast. "Passenger R.O. reported that he heard Morgan call H.D. a 'fag' and that he observed Morgan take the airplane phone from H.D. and throw it at him."

Once the plane landed in Phoenix authorities met Morgan and interviewed him.

He told authorities "the flight attendant was homosexual and that this made him uncomfortable," according to the filing. Morgan did admit to getting angry when he wasn't allowed a second drink.

"Morgan said that he is homophobic and that it is possible he could have been intimidating to the flight attendants," the affidavit states. "He said that his homophobia may have caused his temper towards the flight attendant to escalate and he admitted that he called H.D. a queer."

The Beast reports that the filing says Morgan "denied assaulting H.D. and said he never touched a telephone."