Autistic Child Kicked Off Plane Cause Pilot Felt 'Uncomfortable'; Mom to Sue United Airlines

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A woman plans to sue United Airlines for kicking out her autistic daughter off a plane. Apparently, the pilot claimed that he was "uncomfortable" flying back to Portland, presumably with an autistic child, reports Times.

The incident occurred after Donna Beegle had difficulty getting food for her autistic child. According to ABC News, Juliette, Donna's autistic child, has trouble communicating verbally. As a result, Juliette makes noises and moves her hands around to get her parents' attention.  

During the flight, Juliette got hungry and "told" her mom of her concern. Donna, knowing her daughter well, immediately ordered a hot meal since Juliette does not like cold food. When the food arrived, however, it was already cold.  

Donna tried asking the flight attendants if she could order hot food for Juliette from the first class menu but her request was denied. "I was so frustrated," Donna says. "I was like, 'I'm trying to prevent a meltdown here, if you could, so help us out.' I said." 

"When [Juliette] melts down and she's upset, that's when you're gonna wanna help her," Donna told the flight attendants. "I'm not asking for the moon. I just have a child with special needs," she adds. 

The flight attendants eventually listened to Donna and gave Juliette some hot rice and jambalaya. After that, Juliette continued watching a movie and sat quietly, reports ABC News.  

Twenty-five minutes after Juliette calmed down, the pilot made an emergency landing. Paramedics boarded the plane but left almost immediately when they did not detect any problem.  

After the paramedics, police came on board and asked the Beegle family to get off the plane because the pilot became "uncomfortable" due to Juliette's condition. 

United Airlines gave a statement to ABC News explaining, "After working to accommodate Dr. Beegle and her daughter during the flight, the crew made the best decision for the safety and comfort of all of our customers....We re-booked the [Beegle family] on a different carrier." 

Donna believed that her daughter was not a safety concern. "Typically, if she starts crying, people bend over backward. This was sheer ignorance about autism," she said. 

Times reports that Donna is planning to sue United Airlines for discrimination and will ask the Federal Aviation Administration to investigate the incident. As of now, the Department of Transportation received a complaint about the incident and is currently investigating the matter, reports ABC News.