WHAT A 'FINE' MESS
FAA sues ‘crazed’ passenger for $82K
An American Airlines passenger is facing some major turbulence for failing to pay the $82,000 fine she incurred following her erratic behavior aboard a 2021 flight — including an attempt to open the main cabin door mid-flight and violence toward the crew.
Heather Wells, 34, was sued by the Federal Aviation Administration after she failed to pay $81,950 in civil penalties for her behavior aboard American Airlines Flight 1774 from Dallas, Texas, to Charlotte, NC, between July 6 and 7, 2021.
Wells’ erratic behavior began after she was served a Jack Daniels, neat, during beverage service about an hour into the flight.
“[Wells] became increasingly agitated and ‘wanted out’ of the plane,” the lawsuit obtained by the San Antonio Express-News read. “She left her seat and began moving and/or running toward the rear of the aircraft, before going to her knees in the aisle.”
Crazy talk
Wells, a business-class flyer from San Antonio, began talking incoherently to other passengers before crawling through the aisle back toward the main cabin.
The crazed passenger was met by a flight attendant who attempted to intervene, but Wells threatened to “hurt him” before pushing the flight attendant to the side and continuing toward the front of the plane.
She then attempted to grab the handle of the cabin door while screaming and yelling profanities.
It took two flight attendants and a passenger to restrain Wells, with Wells striking one of the employees multiple times on the head during the struggle.
“Ultimately, the flight attendants and passenger were able to restrain Defendant with duct tape and flex cuffs and get her seated,” the suit continued.
“After she was seated, Defendant continued to kick and spit and attempted to bite and head-butt a flight attendant and passengers. This necessitated Defendant to be further restrained to her seat by tape, and her mouth also taped, but even this was ineffective to stop her from screaming and cursing throughout the remainder of the flight.”
Video posted to social media showed the woman, her hair dyed green, restrained to a seat with duct tape placed over her mouth and her arms cuffed behind her.
During the flight, the pilots had radioed Charlotte requesting law enforcement be ready upon their arrival to the airport.
While the plane was taxiing to the gate, Wells managed to break her legs free of the restraints and began kicking again, forcing a passenger and flight attendant to restrain her until law enforcement boarded the plane.
The officers decided to have the rest of the passengers deboard before removing Wells.
“Defendant continued to violently kick and broke the seat in front of her,” the suit said. “Ultimately, Defendant had to be sedated to be removed from the aircraft by law enforcement and medical responders.”
Wells was taken to a hospital but never faced any criminal charges, according to Express-News.
The lawsuit alleges Wells violated federal aviation rules by trying to access the flight cabin, interfering with the flight crew, threatening them and posing an imminent threat to the safety of the aircraft or individuals on the aircraft.
She was summoned to answer the suit, which seeks to have her pay the $81,950 fine the FAA imposed on her in 2022, the largest handed out by the agency to date.
This week the agency revealed that unruly passenger cases continue to rise in 2024.
“There have been 915 cases of unruly passengers, from Jan. 1, 2024, to June 9, 2024, including 106 cases of passenger disturbances due to intoxication,” the FAA said Wednesday. “Travelers will pay for misbehaving. The FAA implemented a Zero-Tolerance Policy on Jan. 13, 2021, after seeing a disturbing increase in cases, issuing fines instead of warning letters or counseling.”
Unruly passengers face civil penalties of up to $37,000 per violation.