Woman Arrested After Being Duct-Taped to Plane Seat for A…

A woman’s alleged outburst aboard an American Airlines flight led her to being duct-taped to her seat, according to reports.

Ketty J. Dilone of Las Vegas was restrained with flex-cuffs and duct tape after she began walking the aisle, yelling and recording other passengers and crew members, according to an FBI affidavit reviewed by the Sacramento Bee.

The incident took place on a connecting flight from Charlotte, North Carolina on September 16, after the plane had originally departed from Punta Cana. Dilone’s behavior supposedly escalated after she was told to stop filming.

Per the affidavit, the woman then threatened the flight crew, allegedly yelling, ‘I will kill you (expletive)!” and became physically aggressive. The document claimed that she “made aggressive postures towards the flight attendants” before being physically restrained.

Even after being restrained, Dilone reportedly kicked a flight attendant twice, causing the crew member to fall.

The affidavit notes that the crew used duct tape to secure her torso to the seat and later taped her legs for the safety of others. Volunteer passengers sat beside her for the remainder of the flight while flight attendants stood nearby to monitor her, which the affidavit says “prevented them from performing their duties of preparing and securing the aircraft for landing.”

Dilone was arrested when the plane landed at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas and is now facing federal charges of interfering with a flight crew and assault “by striking, beating, or wounding,” according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada.

At her initial court appearance on September 17, Dilone appeared “fully restrained,” per court records reviewed by Sacramento Bee. The newspaper also reported that she experienced a medical episode after the hearing was adjourned and was hospitalized. She is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on October 1. If found guilty, she could face up to 20 years in prison, according to the National Post.

“The safety of our customers and team members is our highest priority,” said American Airlines in a statement. “We take this matter very seriously and are working closely with law enforcement on its investigation.”