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Audio reveals pleas of worker trapped in plane cargo hold

Newly released audio of a 911 call reveals the panic of an airport worker who fell asleep inside the cargo hold of an Alaska Airlines 737 that took off while he was sleeping
Listen: 911 audio of man stuck in plane cargo hold 01:14

When you're stuck in the cargo hold of an airliner and you think it's in the air, there's really nothing left to do but call 911.

At least that's what a baggage worker who works for Alaska Airlines figured out when he realized that he was en route to Los Angeles with the rest of the luggage he'd just loaded.

"Hello, I'm trapped in this plane, and I called my job and I'm in this plane," the nervous man, whose name hasn't been released, told a 911 operator in audio obtained by CBS News.

"You're where," she asked, puzzled.

"I'm inside this plane and I feel like it's moving in the air. Flight 448, can you please tell somebody to stop it."

He continued to plead for help until his phone connection cut off.

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An Alaska Airlines plane takes off from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Seattle. AP / Ted S. Warren

He was right. The Alaska Airlines flight had taken off on its way from Seattle-Tacoma Airport to Los Angeles. The worker had fallen asleep in the cargo hold, unseen by the flight crew or co-workers.

The airline said in a statement that "the team lead noticed the employee was missing... called and texted the employee's cell phone, but did not receive an answer. His co-workers believed he finished his shift and went home.".

Passengers heard a loud banging from underneath and at least one feared there might be a problem with the landing gear.

But minutes after takeoff, the pilot figured out what happened, then radioed that he was returning to SeaTac airport.

"I think we have -- hearing a noise from the baggage compartment. Might be a person in there so we're going to come back around," the pilot said.

"They may be looking at their protocols to account for all the ground crew after the plane departs," CBS News Aviation and Safety Expert Capt. Sully Sullenbgerer said.

Alaska Airlines said the employee was in a pressurized, temperature-controlled portion of the cargo hold. He was taken to a hospital and was discharged after passing a drug test.

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