The Federal Aviation Administration is suing a San Antonio woman who kicked and spat at passengers and flight attendants and was forcibly restrained with duct tape.
Heather Wells, 34, was traveling first class from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport to Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina in July 2021. About an hour into the flight, Wells ordered a Jack Daniels whiskey, became agitated and “wanted out” of the airplane, according to the lawsuit filed this month in federal court.
Wells ran toward the back of the plane, fell to her knees and talked incoherently to other passengers before crawling back to the main cabin, the suit says. When a flight attendant responded, she told him she would “hurt him” if he did not get out of her way, and she pushed him aside.
When she reached the front of the aircraft, Wells attempted to grab the cabin door handle while screaming and yelling profanities, according to the lawsuit. Two flight attendants and a passenger physically restrained her, and she struck a flight attendant in the head multiple times during the struggle.
Once restrained with duct tape and flex cuffs, Wells continued to kick and spit and attempted to bite and headbutt a flight attendant and passengers. Duct tape was then applied to her mouth.
The captain decided that landing in Charlotte would be faster than diverting elsewhere, and law enforcement officers were waiting for the plane’s arrival, the suit says.
The FAA is seeking to collect $81,950 in civil penalties from Wells. An attorney for Wells is not listed in court documents.
Wells told CBS affiliate KENS 5 in San Antonio that she was having a mental health episode that day. Images of Wells duct taped to her seat went viral on social media.
“I know that it was not rational, and I was not actually in any external danger but at the time I was genuinely afraid for my life,” Wells said. “Words can’t express how sorry I am for the fear I caused and the people I hurt.”
American Airlines did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Monday.
The fine, the largest ever sought by the FAA, was first announced in 2022 and Wells was given 30 days to respond. It’s not clear if she responded.
The federal regulator has reported an uptick in cases of disruptive flyers in recent years.
In 2021, the FAA investigated nearly 6,000 reports of unruly passengers, an increase of almost 500% over the previous year. The number fell to 2,455 cases in 2022 and 2,075 cases in 2023.
In January, a passenger on an American Airlines flight out of DFW International Airport allegedly assaulted a flight attendant and later kicked a police officer in the groin. And in March, a drunk passenger on an American Airlines flight to Tampa got booted after he allegedly said he would “take this plane down.”
