Selma Blair, 52, left multiple Delta flight attendants injured during a mid-flight meltdown that forced a pilot to request medical and law enforcement backup before landing.
The “Cruel Intentions” star was arrested after attempting to open the plane door while the aircraft was airborne, according to 911 dispatch audio obtained from the incident.
The pilot radioed ahead to JFK Airport asking for personnel to meet the flight at the gate. “Could you pass on to the folks at JFK, we’d like to have some medical personnel at the gates for a couple of [flight attendants] involved in the passenger incident,” he said in the recorded transmission.
“They just need to get a couple of things looked at,” the pilot added.
When dispatch asked for an “estimated station count” to determine how many ambulances would be needed, the pilot made clear the injuries did not require emergency transport. “No ambulances. Just some medical personnel available for two flight attendants at the gate should be fine for that,” he responded.
The audio, shared via the ATC tracking platform @theATCapp, characterized Blair as an “abusive” passenger and noted the flight — identified as Delta 938 — had declared an emergency. The recording specified that two flight attendants had been “involved in an altercation with an abusive passenger.”
The injuries to the crew members included a bloody nose and bite marks, according to details from the dispatch audio.
Blair’s in-flight breakdown occurred on a Delta flight bound for New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. The pilot’s advance request for law enforcement and medical staff underscored the severity of the disturbance before the plane even touched down.
The incident drew significant attention after the dispatch recording circulated on social media, with the @theATCapp tweet capturing the pilot’s calm but urgent coordination with ground crews.
The actress, known for her roles in films including “Legally Blonde” and the “Hellboy” franchise, has been open about her health struggles in recent years, including her multiple sclerosis diagnosis. She documented her experience with the disease in the 2021 documentary “Introducing, Selma Blair.”
Blair has not publicly addressed the specifics of the flight incident through her own social media channels or in statements to the press.
The flight crew’s injuries and the emergency declaration led to law enforcement taking Blair into custody upon the aircraft’s arrival at JFK. The case remains under investigation by authorities.