Lang
11/29/25
A sentencing date has been set for a Nebraska man accused of disrupting a flight that was forced to land in Cedar Rapids earlier this year.
According to the original news release from the City of Cedar Rapids, a SkyWest flight from Omaha to Detroit had to touch down at the Eastern Iowa Airport on July 17th to deal with a single male passenger. Officers met the flight and arrested 23-year-old Mario Nikpelaj (Nick-PREE-lidge).
A federal criminal complaint says the pilot was told about an unruly passenger before takeoff, but flight attendants were able to control the situation. About 20 miles from Cedar Rapids, the flight attendants told the pilot that the passenger was trying to open the exit door and was fighting with other passengers on the plane. That’s when the pilot decided to land.
Court records show three passengers helped the flight attendants subdue Nikpelaj. Witnesses said he became physical with a flight attendant and threatened to kill them.
Local charges were eventually dropped in favor of federal charges, and in September Nikpelaj pleaded guilty in federal court to interference with flight crew members and attendants. His sentencing is scheduled for 2 p.m. on January 13th in Cedar Rapids.
Nikpelaj faces a maximum sentence of 20 years.