Unruly behavior on planes not tolerated

On a recent Southwest Airlines flight, a man dropped his pants and exposed himself to the female passenger sitting next to him, then punched her, according to an FBI affidavit. The plane was in midair, and the naked man reportedly grew angrier, screaming uncontrollably and shaking his fist in the air.

The man had gone “berserk,” said James Scanlon, a 52-year-old passenger who witnessed the August incident.

“He was jeopardizing my safety on that airplane. I was afraid he would rush the cockpit or try to jump out.”

Laws prohibiting interference with flight crews and attendants on aircraft have been on the books for decades. But since the September 11, 2001, attacks, federal officials and airlines have clamped down on misconduct, imposing bigger fines and stricter punishments for passengers who behave badly.

“Now people are more hyper-vigilant on what occurs on aircrafts,” said Ron Koziol, assistant section chief for the FBI’s violent crimes unit, who calls airplanes a “high-risk” environment. “The U.S. government is more aware of what can occur on an aircraft, and [officials] don’t want those issues causing the plane to be in an unsafe environment.”

The FBI reports an average of 80 incidents aboard aircraft each year. The man on the Southwest fight, Darius Chappill, was charged in U.S. District Court in Oakland, California with interference with a flight crew and accused of exposing himself. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

The Federal Aviation Administration, which handles unruly incidents deemed to be civil violations, has reported more than 900 cases over the past five years. In 2000, a series of incidents in which passengers verbally harassed and hit crew members prompted the FAA to boost the civil penalty fine for interfering with a crew member from a maximum of $1,100 to $25,000. The FBI usually handles more serious cases of abuse or dangerous behavior.

The FAA numbers don’t reflect all the cases of inappropriate behavior, said Les Dorr, a spokesman for the agency. Crew members are used to experiencing the wrath of passengers who are frustrated by delays and missing baggage. Sometimes, these incidents aren’t severe enough to be reported to government officials.

Many confrontations occur when a flight attendant refuses to serve an intoxicated passenger another alcoholic beverage, according to flight attendants. When the temper tantrums get physical, airline officials may resort to plastic handcuffs and restraining tape.

On a Frontier Airlines flight in July 2007, passenger Tamera Freeman was seen physically abusing her children, who were crying, according to court documents. The court records show that when the flight attendant refused to serve her alcohol, Freeman threw her drink at the attendant.