Man arrested from diverted Dallas flight accused of assaulting flight attendant
DALLAS - An American Airlines passenger faces criminal charges after reportedly assaulting a flight attendant.
This happened on a flight Wednesday that departed from Dallas and was heading to Bozeman, Montana.
That flight had to be diverted.
Law enforcement officers at Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport were waiting for American Airlines flight 1497 Wednesday after it was diverted to the airport with an unruly passenger.
Flight from Dallas diverted to Amarillo due to disruptive passenger
An American Airlines flight that took off from Dallas was diverted to Amarillo because of a disruptive passenger Wednesday afternoon.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, Keith Edward Fagiana assaulted a male flight attendant shortly after the flight departed from DFW Airport, bound for Montana.
"Felony convictions under federal law can carry with them, not only fines and penalties, but very severe and lengthy periods of jail time," said Ron McCallum, who is a pilot and aviation attorney not involved in this case.
Fagiana is charged with interference with a flight crew.
As one might expect, McCallum said diverting a commercial flight is major ordeal.
"At that point, the lock in place protocol goes into effect, which is where the flight crews isolated from the rest of the aircraft at that point. And during this particular flight, the flight crew is in communication with air traffic control, which is above and beyond a local tower," he explained. "They would have reported an emergency which gives them clearance and authority to navigate directly to the nearest suitable airport for landing."
In a statement to FOX 4, a spokesman with the Association of Professional Flight Attendants said, in part:
"Yesterday, another Flight Attendant was assaulted by a customer. Our priority is to care for the affected crewmember. This violent behavior must stop."
Passengers told investigators that Fagiana, who is from Las Vegas, threw multiple punches at a male flight attendant before he was tackled by other passengers.
What prompted the alleged assault, and whether alcohol or drugs were involved, is now under investigation by the FBI and FAA.
"In this case, it's escalated to violence. That's a felony under federal law," McCallum added.
The FAA says airlines in 2023 have reported approximately 45 incidents in which passengers assaulted flight attendants.