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© MSNBCStruggle: Two other crew members wrestle with the woman as she screams about the plane crashing and 9/11
  • Unnamed flight attendant said to be bipolar and hadn't taken medication
  • Frightened passengers said she was 'screaming bloody murder'
  • Took five people to restrain her as plane was taxiing on runway
An American Airlines jet was delayed as it taxied for take-off this morning after a veteran flight attendant began ranting about the September 11 attacks and saying the plane was about to crash.

Flight 2332 was halted after the woman commandeered the plane's public address system and told passengers there were technical difficulties.

First class travelers helped the cabin crew subdue the attendant, after she started screaming random things like she was 'not responsible for crashing this plane' and that they couldn't take off because there wasn't enough ice on board, according to witnesses.

The Chicago-bound flight had already departed the gate at Dallas-Fort Worth airport and was just about to take off at about 8.25am, the Dallas Observer reported.

Another attendant tried to calm worried passengers as the woman continued to ramble about America Airlines' bankruptcy and 'rant' about 9/11, said a law enforcement source.
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© The Associated PressPassengers look to the galley of the plane to find out what is happening, left, and Greg Lozano, a passenger on the American Airlines flight talks to reporters

She also reportedly complained about union issues. It took five people to restrain the woman.

One passenger said she had to be 'thrown into the first row of seats and held down' and sounded 'demonic'.

'It was unbelievable,' passenger Bethany Christakos told the Dallas Observer, adding the out-of-control attendant was 'screaming bloody murder.'

The woman shrieked as she was handcuffed by police and placed into a police car about 15 minutes after the 'altercation' first started.

'She was just screaming - blood-curdling screams,' said Ms Christakos. 'I will never get that sound of her screaming out of my head.'

Passenger Greg Lozano said: 'We were pretty frightened. I was glad we weren't in the air.'

The plane was turned around and taxied back to the gate, where state trooper escorted two stewardesses off the aircraft.

One of the women was seen fighting police and 'kicking and screaming' as she was put in a patrol car.

Both women were later treated in a nearby hospital.

Passengers claimed they heard the attendant, whose name was being withheld, was 'off her meds' and suffered from bipolar.

In a statement, American Airlines said the entire crew was replaced and the flight eventually took off for Chicago at 9.46am.

The rest of the journey went smoothly thanks to liberal quantities of alcohol, said Ms Christakos.

'The attendants were nicer than I ever seen,' she said. 'They completely ran out of alcohol.'

'We commend our other crew members for their assistance in quickly getting the aircraft back to the gate so that customers could be re-accommodated,' the airline said.

The added: 'Our customers were not in danger at any time. We apologize for any inconvenience to our customers and we appreciate their patience and understanding.'

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Tony Molinaro said there was 'an altercation on board the plane and that's why it returned to the gate and police were called.'