A woman who went viral on social media in 2021 after being bound and gagged with duct tape on an airplane is facing a new lawsuit.
34-year-old Heather Wells is facing a $81,950 suit nearly three years after her fateful flight from Dallas to Charlotte.
The Violent Incident
On July 6, 2021, Wells began biting and spitting at staff and passengers alike while on a two-to-three-hour flight across the South.
Wells was reported to have hit a flight attendant on the head, yelled profanities, and attempted to open an aircraft door mid-flight.
Passenger “Wanted Out” of Plane Mid-Flight
Wells, after drinking a Jack Daniels neat on the flight, “wanted out” and proceeded to run to the front of the plane. The lawsuit says she attempted to grab the handle of the front cabin door.
The lawsuit goes on to allege that Wells started “talking incoherently to passengers, before crawling back toward the main cabin,” and made threats toward crew members.
How The Attacked Flight Attendants Responded
After swerving past stewards, two flight attendants had to restrain Wells – who struck one of the attendants on the head multiple times during the encounter.
Flight attendants were ultimately able to sit Wells down and restrain her with flex-cuffs. To stop the woman from biting and swearing, she was gagged and bound with duct tape.
What Social Media Made of The Incident
When news first broke of the incident involving Wells, photos and video of the encounter went viral on social media apps like Twitter and TikTok.
The video, which was recorded by TikTok user @lol.ariee, showed Wells attempting to scream through duct tape. Following the video going viral, the story quickly got picked up by news outlets all around the world.
Flight Attendants’ Response Prompted Mixed Reaction
When videos first went viral showing Wells duct taped to her seat, most social media users were supportive of the efforts of flight attendants to restrain her. “She endangered the crew and the passengers. Duct tape seems like a reasonable option for an unreasonable situation”, said one Twitter (X) user at the time.
However, not all agreed and some were disturbed by the images of Wells gagged and bound. One Twitter (X) user accused the flight staff of “malpractice in emergency mental health crisis management”.
A Record Fine
In 2022, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) fined Wells $81,950 in civil penalties over the incident.
The fine amount from the FAA represented a record sum against an individual passenger. Two years later, Wells finds herself in yet more trouble with the administration.
What The Lawsuit Alleges
Earlier this week, U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparaza filed a suit against Wells in a San Antonio federal court on behalf of the FAA. The suit seeks to finally collect the civil penalty sum from Wells.
According to the Independent, the lawsuit is “alleging that [Wells] violated 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.”
Who Are The FAA?
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a government agency that operates within the Department of Transportation. Its duties involve air traffic control, setting airport standards, and issuing/revoking pilots licenses.
The FAA was founded in 1958 and became part of the Department of Transportation in 1967. The current FAA administrator is Michael Whitaker, who serves under the Transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg.
Recent Flight Incidents
The Heather Wells incident is one of a number of high-profile disruptive incidents that have occurred on planes in recent years. In February of this year, another passenger on an American Airlines flight was duct-taped to their seat after trying to open the exit door.
Meanwhile, a man was tackled by passengers on a plane last year after he also attempted to open the flight door. However, that incident happened in the moments before take-off and led to the man being swiftly kicked off his flight.
