An American Airlines flight heading from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., on Sunday was diverted to Kansas City International Airport in Missouri after an “unruly” passenger attempted to break into the cockpit - and tried to open an exit door, according to several reports, writes Huffpost.

The man was subdued by passengers and staff, including a flight attendant who struck him on the head with a coffee pot, according to passenger Mouaz Moustafa.

“A flight attendant ran to the back of the plane and got the coffee pot and continues to bash the guy on the head”, - Moustafa told The New York Times, noting that the man was “bleeding profusely.”

“I honestly thought today I might die”, - he added.

When the pilot asked for clearance to land in Kansas City, he explained: “He’s trying to get into the cockpit ... We’ve got four passengers now trying to contain this gentleman,” according to a recording of the communications.

The unidentified passenger was taken into custody once the plane landed, and the FBI interviewed passengers.