Passenger Gets 2 Years in Prison After Drunken Mid-Flight Rampage

A South Carolina man has been sentenced to two years in federal prison after prosecutors said his drunken behavior aboard a Delta Air Lines flight became so disruptive that pilots diverted the international trip to Alaska.

Michael Shane Orndoff Jr., 52, of Greenwood, was sentenced September 23 after being convicted of interfering with a flight crew during a December 17, 2025, flight from Atlanta to Seoul, South Korea.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska, the trouble began about an hour after takeoff.

By that point, prosecutors said Orndoff had consumed between four and six large glasses of wine and had become intoxicated and belligerent toward both passengers and crew members.

Authorities said Orndoff began leaning toward and breathing on a woman seated next to him, prompting flight attendants to eventually cut off his alcohol service.

Instead of stopping, prosecutors said he tried to convince other passengers to buy drinks for him, including a minor.

Then the situation escalated.

According to court documents, Orndoff stole a bottle of wine from a service cart and locked himself inside an airplane bathroom.

He later emerged carrying the empty bottle, returned to his seat and continued bothering nearby passengers.

At that point, the pilots locked themselves inside the cockpit and decided to divert Delta Flight 27 to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport for safety.

But the disturbance reportedly continued.

The woman seated near Orndoff eventually went to the front of the aircraft and asked a flight attendant if she could move to another seat.

Prosecutors said Orndoff followed her down the aisle, pounded on the cockpit door and demanded more alcohol.

Several passengers and crew members were ultimately needed to restrain him with zip ties until the plane could land.

Airport police boarded the aircraft after it landed in Anchorage and removed Orndoff.

Authorities said his blood alcohol concentration was measured at .192 hours after he had stolen the wine bottle.

For comparison, that is more than twice the .08 blood-alcohol limit used for driving in most of the United States.

Federal prosecutors said the episode endangered everyone onboard.

“While onboard a commercial aircraft, Mr. Orndoff’s violent and disruptive behavior jeopardized the safety of the flight crew and his fellow passengers,” FBI Anchorage Special Agent in Charge Matthew Schlegel said after the sentencing.

U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman said incidents involving unruly airline passengers have become far too common and stressed that travelers should be able to fly without fearing dangerous behavior from others.

Interfering with a flight crew is a federal crime and can carry serious prison time.

Orndoff was sentenced to two years behind bars and will also serve three years of supervised release after leaving prison.

A restitution hearing is scheduled for January 6, 2027.

The FBI Anchorage Field Office and Anchorage Airport Police and Fire Department investigated the case.