(NewsSpace.com) – When travelers fly, they are expected to adhere to the airline’s rules and regulations that are set in place to protect all passengers. However, sometimes, people just don’t follow the rules and end up paying the consequences. The federal government is now trying to sue a woman who acted out on a flight.
On July 7, 2021, Heather Wells was flying first class from Dallas, Texas, to Charlotte, North Carolina. During the flight, she consumed whiskey and became agitated, telling flight attendants she “wanted out.” Her behavior only escalated. She reportedly ran toward the back of the plane and dropped to her knees, incoherently talking to other passengers. She then crawled back to the main cabin.
According to court documents, when a flight attendant addressed Wells for her behavior, the woman lashed out and told the man she would injure him “if he didn’t get out of her way.” Things only got worse. She reached for the cabin door and tried to open it “while screaming and yelling profanities.”
The crew was forced to take extenuating measures to get Wells under control. They tried to subdue her, during which time she struck another flight attendant in the head several times, and the crew ended up having to duct tape her to her seat. Then, when she continued to act up, they taped her mouth shut.
The flight ended up traveling all the way to its destination, at which point, officers boarded the plane. They had to sedate her in order to remove her safely. Now, the Federal Aviation Administration wants her to pay up. It filed a lawsuit in which it’s seeking a total of $81,950, broken down into a $45,000 civil penalty, $9,000 for interfering with the flight crew’s duties, and $27,950 for trying to open the cabin door. Wells was made aware of the penalties in 2022 and had 30 days to respond. The federal government is now seeking to collect.
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