American Airlines Passenger Sued for $81K by FAA After Duct-Tape Incident

An American Airlines passenger who had to be duct-taped to the seat in 2021 has been sued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for more than $81,000 to collect on the judgment filed against her by the federal agency.

The Independent is reporting that Heather Wells, 34, was flying from Dallas to Charlotte in July 2021 when she began biting and spitting at passengers, seemingly unprovoked, and then tried to open the front cabin door.

Passengers on the plane then caught video of the aftermath of the incident, which went viral on social media after it was revealed that flight attendants had duct-taped her to the seat. American Airlines flight attendants radioed for police while still in flight, though no criminal charges were filed against Wells.

“Ultimately, Defendant had to be sedated to be removed from the aircraft by law enforcement and medical responders,” the lawsuit against Wells read.

Despite the outrage that followed, American Airlines defended its actions.

Now, U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza has filed a lawsuit in the federal court in San Antonio, Texas, on behalf of the FAA, suing Wells for the $81,950 civil fine imposed on Wells at the time of the incident. She was fined for violating federal aviation rules by “trying to access the flight cabin, interfering with flight crew, threatening them and posing an imminent threat to the safety of the aircraft or individuals on the aircraft,” per the outlet.

This isn’t the first incident of its kind that American Airlines has endured.

In February 2024, Flight 1219 from Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Chicago, Illinois, had a similarly disruptive passenger, and the flight attendants again responded by duct-taping the individual to his seat.

The aircraft “returned to ABQ shortly after takeoff due to a disturbance in the cabin involving a disruptive customer,” an American Airlines official told CNN. The airplane made a safe landing, and local law police greeted it there.

According to data supplied by the International Air Transport Association, an airline trade group, unruly passenger incidents increased 37% internationally between 2021 and 2022, even as pandemic-related restrictions decreased.