NY man accused of trying to open plane door freed on bail, barred from flying, drinking

NY man accused in plane door scare free on bail

DENVER — A New York man accused of trying to open a plane door mid-flight has been freed on bail and ordered not to fly.

Thirty-three-year-old Gregory Thomas Burns appeared in federal court in Denver Friday afternoon and was released on $10,000 bail. He’s accused of trying to open a plane’s exterior door last Saturday during a flight from Washington, D.C., to Las Vegas. The United Airlines jetliner was diverted to Denver International Airport.

Burns, from Sydney Center, N.Y., says he thought he was on the wrong airplane and that it was grounded when he tried to open the door. Investigators say he’d had several drinks.

Burns is to undergo mental health evaluations as part of his bail conditions. He faces charges of interference with a flight crew and is due in court again Feb. 17.