But He Made Enough Noise To Be Released Before The Flight Departed

A baggage handler for US Airways at Reagan National Airport (DCA) was briefly locked in the baggage compartment of an Embraer E-170 regional jet ... a space just 37 inches high.

Fortunately, the worker was able to make enough noise that a flight attendant heard his yells and thumps on the floor of the airplane, and he was let out in enough time to actually drive the tug to push the airplane back from the gate.

A passenger told the New York Times that the captain came on the intercom and said one of the baggage handlers had been locked in the cargo compartment. The worker had also been assigned to drive the tug, and according to a statement from the FAA, when the tug driver was missing, the co-pilot opened the side window and told the ground crew that someone was "yelling and pounding" from the cargo hold. The wayward baggage handler was then released from the belly of the plane, and got behind the wheel of the tug.

Despite all that, the flight managed to depart a few minutes early, and traveled to Hartford, CT, on time.

A US Airways spokesman said that the regional jet was lightly loaded, and few of the business travelers on board had checked baggage. He said the airline would investigate the incident.

FMI: www.usairways.com