American Airlines Passenger Duct-Taped For Unruly Behavior, Faces Lawsuit For Unpaid Fine

Heather Wells, a 34-year-old American woman, suffocated and was taped to her seat after she allegedly tried to open an airplane door during a flight on an American Airlines flight in 2021. He is now reportedly suing her. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) did not pay a large fine because it also attacked the passengers on the plane.

The passenger was accused of causing a disturbance on the plane by "biting" and spitting at staff and others. A viral video of him taped to a seat during the aftermath surfaced online. Wells will reportedly fly from Dallas, North Carolina to Charlotte on July 6, 2021.

FAA Questions American Airlines Passenger

US attorney Jaime Esparza sued the 34-year-old woman in federal court in San Antonio on behalf of the FAA. The suit is said to be the first to see

According to the lawsuit filed June 6, Wells was on the plane as a business class passenger who "wanted to get off." He is said to have ordered alcohol earlier and "was increasingly nervous and wanted to get off the plane"

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JUST IN: 34-year-old American Airlines passenger who was gagged and strapped with duct tape, is being sued by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Heather Wells was accused of trying to open an aircraft door mid-flight from Dallas to Charlotte, NC.

Flight attendants, with help… pic.twitter.com/Z4MVLG1COe

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) June 15, 2024

The complaint also added that Wells "continued to kick and spit and attempted to bite and headbutt the flight attendant" even though she was restrained in her seat. Wells even tried to grab the handle of the cabin's front door. She was accused of "speaking incoherently to passengers before crawling back into the cabin". When a flight attendant tried to intervene, she also violently assaulted them and "shouted obscenities" until two other flight attendants restrained her.

While the passenger was restrained in the seat, she continued her violent behavior and "attempted to bite and headbutt flight attendants and passengers." Although she endangered the safety of those on board, she was not criminally charged. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department reported via The Independent that it was only booked as a "flight violation."

When her unruly behavior continued, she was sedated and then removed from the flight after landing at Charlotte Airport.

Additionally, the reports that Wells' fine is divided into $45,000 for assaulting and threatening crew members, $27,950 for opening a cabin door during a flight, and $9,000 for interfering with the duties of a crew member.

The FAA said Wednesday, "Passengers pay for bad behavior." The agency also noted that any passenger "who assaults, threatens, threatens or harasses flight crew members may be subject to a civil penalty of up to $37,000 per violation."

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