The captain of the U.S. airliner was managed by its own passengers after he ran up and down the packed jet followed by bombs and al Qaeda.
The JetBlue plane, en route from New York JFK airport in Las Vegas, was forced to nauðlenda in Amarillo, Texas, as the pilot was pinned down.
Alarmed passengers became aware of an incident where a co-pilot, apparently concerned about the erratic behavior of his colleague, locked him out of the cockpit of his own when he began to use the toilet.
The captain - believed to be Clayton Osbon - responded by banging angrily on the flight deck door, before running up and down the aisle yelling "say your prayers,".
The JetBlue plane, en route from New York JFK airport in Las Vegas, was forced to nauðlenda in Amarillo, Texas, as the pilot was pinned down.
Alarmed passengers became aware of an incident where a co-pilot, apparently concerned about the erratic behavior of his colleague, locked him out of the cockpit of his own when he began to use the toilet.
The captain - believed to be Clayton Osbon - responded by banging angrily on the flight deck door, before running up and down the aisle yelling "say your prayers,".
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the statement said: "Co-pilot became concerned that the captain showed erratic behavior during the flight.
"The captain had stopped the cockpit during the flight, after the co-pilot locked the door.
"When the captain tried to get into the locked cockpit, he was a small passenger.
"After the flight landed safely, local law enforcement secured the pilot and he was transported by ambulance to the doctor."
A JetBlue statement said that around three and a half hours of flight, "the pilot in command elected to move to Amarillo, Texas, for medical conditions involving the captain."
"Another captain, traveling off duty, entered the flight deck before landing in Amarillo, and took over the duties of the ill crew who were taken to local medical facility in Amarillo," the statement said.
Passenger David Gonzalez told Fox News how Osbon ranted incoherently about Iran but moved to an emergency stop.
Mr. Gonzalez responded by making a grab for the captain and managed to choke him until he collapsed.
"I told him I'm going to show you what Iran is, as I grabbed him and choked him," said Mr. Gonzalez.
"I was able to choke him with my arm. At that time, I let go of his throat and equipment it on the floor ... we were afraid he would wake up."
Passenger Tiffany Lee tweeted, "our pilot went nuts and we had to land in Amarillo.
"I saw my life flash before my eyes today."
Grainy YouTube footage take a passenger on the aircraft landed showed Scrum in front of the aircraft.
In the footage, the attendant reminds people to be seated, and scolds them for taking the video, said: "We do not have pictures of this, please."
A JetBlue spokeswoman said all passengers will be reimbursed for the flight and get credit for double the value of their tickets.
The office of U.S. Attorney in North Texas will decide whether charges will be brought.
Osbon distraught wife of six years, Connye Osbon said she did not "have an idea" what had happened on board the plane, in comments to ABC News.
"There are several different sides to every story. Just keep that in mind," she warned, adding that she had not spoken to her husband from the incident.
