A Wisconsin woman says that she got an alarming text from her husband saying he was about to kill himself just after she boarded her Southwest flight, but flight attendants wouldn't let her call for help. By the time the plane landed, her husband had died, the woman says.
Karen Momsen-Evers told NBC affiliate WTMJ that shortly before her Milwaukee-bound flight took off from New Orleans, she got a text message from her husband asking forgiveness for taking his life.
She said she texted back "no," but when she went to call him, she says a flight attendant "slapped the phone down and said, ‘You need to go on airplane mode now.’"
Momsen-Evers said she tried to explain her situation but was told it was "FAA regulations" and there was nothing the flight crew could do.
Two hours later, her plane landed, and she called police. When she arrived home, she was told her husband had died.
"Our hearts go out to Mrs. Evers and her family during this difficult time," Southwest said in a statement, adding that it could not share details of the event.
"Our flight attendants are responsible for executing Safety procedures to prepare a flight for departure and arrival, in accordance with FAA regulations, while assisting the up to 100-plus passengers onboard," the airline said.
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"Flight attendants are trained to notify the captain if there is an emergency that poses a hazard to the aircraft or to the passengers on-board," it continued. "In this situation, the pilots were not notified."
Momsen-Evers told WTMJ she believes that notice could have saved her husband’s life, and that "knowing something could have been done" is heartbreaking.
