Passengers and crew scramble to restrain man attempting to open door of Delta flight

Once the man was restrained, the flight was diverted to Oklahoma City, the nearest airport

A passenger attempted to open plane door mid-flight (Screengrab)

Witnesses have described the terrifying moment crew asked for ‘strong men’ to help subdue a passenger who tried to open a door on a Delta flight from Los Angeles to Atlanta.

An eyewitness said on Twitter that passenger grabbed the public addresss system in the front galley and made an announcement telling others to take their seats and to be prepared to put on their oxygen masks, before attempting to force open the door.

The passenger appeared to be wearing an orange life jacket.

In response, flight attendants asked all “strong able-bodied men” to go the front of the plane to help. In video posted online, passengers and crew members can be seen restraining the man.

A spokesperson for Delta said: “Thanks to the crew and passengers of Delta Flight 1730 who assisted in detaining an unruly passenger as the flight diverted to Oklahoma City (OKC).

“The aircraft landed without incident and the passenger was removed by law enforcement. We apologize to our customers for the delay and any additional inconvenience this caused.”