As she ran through the cabin, yelling profanities and threatening a flight attendant, a desperate crew and passengers intervened, restraining her with duct tape and flex cuffs.

New Delhi: A flight from Dallas-Fort Worth to Charlotte turned into a scene straight out of a thriller when passenger Heather Wells went on a rampage, kicking, spitting at staff and passengers and even attempting to open the cabin door mid-air. For her unruly behaviour, the passenger has been fined dollar 81,950 —the largest fine imposed on an individual by the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the largest ever levied on an individual for such misconduct.

Heather Wells, who had consumed alcohol, became agitated about an hour into the flight, demanding to be let off the plane, according to the New York Times. As she ran through the cabin, yelling profanities and threatening a flight attendant, a desperate crew and passengers intervened, restraining her with duct tape and flex cuffs.

Her unruly behaviour, which included striking a flight attendant multiple times and continuing to kick, spit, and bite even after being secured, prompted the FAA to impose a record-breaking fine.

Two flight attendants and a passenger managed to restrain Wells, but not before she struck one of the attendants multiple times in the head. The flight staff used duct tape and flex cuffs to restrain her. However, they couldn’t take full control of her unruly actions resulting in the disturbance in the flight as she continued kicking, spitting, and trying to bite and head-butt, according to the lawsuit cited by the New York Times.

While Wells later acknowledged experiencing mental health issues at the time and expressed remorse for her actions, the incident serves as a stark reminder of the escalating challenges faced by airline staff dealing with increasingly disruptive passengers.

“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,” she stated. “Words can’t express how sorry I am for the fear I caused and the people I hurt.”

The US regulator reports there have been 915 cases of unruly passengers, from Jan. 1, 2024, to June 9, 2024. This number included 106 cases of passenger disturbances due to intoxication.

FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker reiterates that the FAA has zero tolerance for unruly passenger behaviour. Dangerous passengers put everyone at risk.

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