Following a flight mishap in 2021, the FAA is suing a passenger on American Airlines for $81,950. According to the lawsuit, Heather Wells, the passenger, struck a flight attendant and attempted to open the cabin door. The Federal Aviation Administration is suing a lady who was duct-taped to her seat on an American Airlines aircraft.
What do the reports Say?
According to media reports, Ms. Wells became upset after ordering a drink on a July 2021 business class flight from Dallas to Charlotte, North Carolina, according to the lawsuit.
“Became increasingly agitated and ‘wanted out’ of the plane,” according to Ms. Wells. She got up from her seat and started walking or racing in the direction of the back of the plane, then she dropped to her knees in the aisle. The San Antonio Express-News reports that the suit claims that she crawled back into the main cabin after remaining there for a short while and speaking irrationally to passengers. According to the allegations, Ms. Wells shoved the flight attendant away, walked to the front of the aircraft, and tried to unlock the front cabin door after threatening to “hurt him” if he tried to go in.
She hit a flight attendant in the head before being duct-taped to a seat, but she was restrained by other passengers and personnel, as reported by KENS-TV. She didn’t stop kicking, spitting, screaming, and cursing until the plane touched down. According to KENS-TV, she eventually needed to be sedated and was taken out when the plane landed.
According to the New York Post, she was fined $81,950 under the FAA’s zero-tolerance policy, which went into effect in January 2021, even though no criminal charges were brought against her. “I know that it was not rational, and I was not actually in any external danger at the time, but at that moment, I was genuinely afraid for my life,” Ms. Wells said to KENS-TV. I am very sorry for the people I injured and the fear I caused. Words cannot explain how sorry I am. Injuring someone is the last thing I would ever want to do. Although I was not in control of what I was doing at the time, it doesn’t make up for the hurt I caused, and I sincerely apologize. In 2021, airline passenger unruliness skyrocketed, prompting the FAA to replace warnings with fines. The FAA reported 5,973 occurrences of rowdy passengers that year, almost 500% more than in 2020.