Man Takes Flight Into The U.S. Without Ticket Or Passport

Photo: Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto (Getty Images)

Federal law enforcement has accused a Russian-Israeli dual national of stowing away on a November flight to Los Angeles from Copenhagen, Denmark. However, the mid-40s man wasn’t hiding in some secluded portion of the aircraft. He found a way to board the Scandinavian Airlines flight and take a seat without a ticket or passport. He claimed to the FBI that he didn’t know how he did it.

When Sergey Vladimirovich Ochigava landed at Los Angeles International Airport, customs officials couldn’t find his name on the manifest for his flight or any other flight. In English, he said that he left his passport on the plane. It wasn’t there. According to the Washington Post, officers searched his belongings and did find Russian and Israeli identification, but Ochigava had no document stating that he could enter the United States.

Ochigava boarded Scandinavian Airlines Flight 931 like any other passenger and took seat 36D, which was conveniently set to be empty. The cabin crew never noticed the discrepancy and allowed him to wander during the flight, changing seats. The Post reported:

According to the affidavit filed by FBI agent Caroline A. Walling, Ochigava told her and another FBI task force officer in a Nov. 5 interview that he hadn’t slept for three days and did not understand what was going on.

“Ochigava did not remember how he got on the plane in Copenhagen. Ochigava also would not explain how or when he got to Copenhagen or what he was doing there,” Walling said in the affidavit. She said he claimed he did not know how he had passed through security checks without a ticket.

Ochigava pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to appear in court on December 26. Regardless of the trial’s outcome, the incident raises questions about how Ochigava was able to circumvent security at Copenhagen Airport and board a flight without a ticket.