Delta Pilot Seen Hitting Passenger At Atlanta Airport

ATLANTA, GA — A Delta pilot is back on the job after he apparently struck a passenger who was involved in an altercation with another passenger at Atlanta International Airport, as the airline said the pilot's actions led to deescalating the fight.

It is unclear when exactly the incident took place. Delta spokesperson Brian Kruse told Patch in an emailed statement that the airline became aware of the incident and the video last week and removed the pilot from duty while Delta conducted an investigation.

TMZ posted a video of the incident on Saturday. The video shows two passengers involved in a physical altercation when the Delta pilot approaches them and says "knock it off" before he is seen bending over and hitting one of the passengers.

Delta said the pilot had returned to work because the airline's investigation found that his actions "deescalated an altercation."

Below is the full statement provided by Delta:

"We became aware of this incident and a video last week and immediately removed the pilot from duty while we completed a thorough investigation. Local law enforcement was called to respond at the time of the incident. The pilot has since been returned to work as our investigation found that his actions deescalated an altercation between passengers on the jetway floor during deplaning."

While incidents on airplanes or those related to air travel attract attention, the altercation with the pilot in Atlanta comes when airlines are under increased scrutiny following the violent dragging of United airlines passenger Dr. David Dao, when he refused to give up his seat for a crew member. After a series of half-apologies, the airline announced a shift in policies and a settlement was reached with Dr. Dao for an undisclosed amount.

Image Credit: Delta Airlines