Passengers on an American Airlines flight from Dallas-Fort Worth to Charlotte, NC, experienced a terrifying ordeal when a woman's disruptive behavior led to her being duct-taped to her seat. The flight had already been delayed before takeoff, and once in the air, chaos ensued.
A passenger discreetly filmed the restrained woman, who had silver duct tape over her mouth, around her wrists, and across her chest and back secure her to the seat. She can be heard screaming and pleading for help as other passengers pass by. Flight attendants remained calm as they bid farewell to passengers, while EMTs stood nearby with a gurney.
According to the passenger who recorded the video, about an hour into the flight, the lights came on, and flight attendants were seen running up and down the aisles in a frantic manner. Bathrooms were locked, and luggage was grabbed from overhead bins. The pilot eventually announced over the intercom that there was a "bad situation" on the plane.
The passenger learned from a flight attendant that the woman had a mental issue and had outburst, attempting to open the exits and banging on the doors, demanding to be let off the plane. She allegedly bit a flight attendant before being restrained and duct-taped for the safety of everyone on board.
While there was panic about the possibility of the woman opening an emergency exit mid-flight, experts explained that this is highly unlikely due to automatic locks and the air pressure outside the plane.
American Airlines faced criticism for the handling of the situation, but many defended the flight crew, emphasizing the importance of neutralizing threats to ensure the safety of all passengers.
woman was taken to a local hospital for evaluation, and an investigation was launched. She was subsequently placed on American Airlines' internal no-fly list.
While the use of duct tape may not be the ideal de-escalation method, it effectively prevented further endangerment to the woman and those around her.
