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Man Accused of Yelling, Causing Plane to Land in Tulsa Pleads Guilty

Tulsa Airports

A Washington state man accused of screaming on a flight and causing the pilot to make an emergency landing in Oklahoma has pleaded guilty to a federal assault charge.

Federal prosecutors in Tulsa say 29-year-old Bolutife Olorunda of Vancouver, Washington, pleaded guilty Tuesday and will pay Delta Airlines $9,118 for the cost of diverting the aircraft.

Prosecutors say Olorunda verbally assaulted and interfered with a flight attendant on a May 30 flight from Portland, Oregon, to Atlanta, prompting the pilot to declare an emergency and land in Tulsa. The flight eventually continued to Atlanta.

No sentencing date is set, but Olorunda faces up to six months in prison and a $5,000 fine. His attorney, Clinton Reed James, declined comment on the case.