Heather Wells: American Airlines flight 1774 passenger who tried to open cabin door mid-flight being sued
An aeroplane passenger who was duct taped to her seat and fined $1240,000 after she tried to open a cabin door mid-flight and was violent toward crew members is now facing more turbulence.
Heather Wells is being sued by the Federal Aviation Administration after she failed to pay the fine for her behaviour aboard American Airlines Flight 1774 from Dallas, Texas, to Charlotte, NC, between July 6 and 7, 2021.
The 34-year-old’s erratic behaviour is said to have occurred after she was served a Jack Daniels during the in-flight drinks service about an hour into the flight.
Loading Tweet
Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE
Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.
READ NOW
“(Wells) became increasingly agitated and ‘wanted out’ of the plane,” the lawsuit 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.”
Seated in business class, it’s understood she began talking incoherently to other passengers and then crawled through the aisle to the main cabin — when a flight attendant tried to intervene, Wells began threatening him.
In a scuffle, the crazed woman tried to grab, twist and disarm the cabin door while screaming profanities.
Two flight attendants managed to restrain the woman with the help of a passenger, but not without injury.
Wells is understood to have hit a staff member multiple times during the scuffle.
Loading Tweet
“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 headbutt a flight attendant and passengers. This necessitated Defendant to be further restrained to her seat by tape, along with her mouth, but even this was ineffective to stop her from screaming and cursing throughout the remainder of the flight.”
She was later restrained and duct taped to her seat, which has been circulating social media again after news of her being sued emerged.