Man Tries To Break Into Cockpit

The FBI says a man attempted to break into the cockpit of an airliner flying from South Africa to Atlanta on Thursday.

The incident is not believed to have been an attempted terrorist attack, according to Theodore Jackson, the FBI agent-in-charge in Atlanta.

Authorities say James Drake, a 53-year-old U.S. citizen, was arrested and faces federal charges including interference with a flight crew member.

Drake was arrested in 1987 after a similar incident on an airplane, according to FBI spokesman Jeff Holmes.

The Thursday morning incident occurred about two and a half hours before the South African Airlines plane was scheduled to land. Holmes says Drake rushed to the front of the plane and began banging on the cockpit door with his hands.

Holmes says two passengers then restrained Drake and persuaded him to sit down for the remainder of the flight, which had departed from Cape Town.

Authorities say they probably will request a mental evaluation of Drake, who is being held pending a hearing in federal magistrate court in Atlanta.