San Antonio, Texas – An American Airlines passenger from Dallas, Texas, is facing a lawsuit from the Federal Aviation Administration after causing a disruptive incident on a flight to Charlotte, North Carolina. Heather Wells, 34, allegedly attempted to open the front cabin door mid-flight, leading to her being bound with duct tape to her seat in a viral video that circulated online.

The FAA initially fined Wells a record amount of $81,950 in civil penalties in response to the incident as airlines and regulators grappled with an increase in unruly passengers disrupting flights. Now, a lawsuit has been filed in San Antonio’s federal court seeking to collect the money owed by Wells on behalf of the FAA.

According to the lawsuit filed by US attorney Jaime Esparza, Wells had been behaving erratically on the flight after reportedly drinking alcohol. She ran towards the front of the plane, attempted to access the front cabin door, and had to be restrained by flight attendants after threatening them and other passengers.

Despite efforts by flight attendants to restrain her, Wells continued to be aggressive, striking a flight attendant multiple times and resisting attempts to calm her down. Eventually, she had to be restrained using duct tape and flex cuffs to prevent further disruption on the flight.

Upon landing at Charlotte, police were alerted by the pilots and awaited Wells on the runway. Despite ongoing resistance, Wells had to be sedated and removed from the aircraft by law enforcement and medical responders due to her continued disruptive behavior.

The lawsuit against Wells alleges that she violated federal aviation rules by attempting to access the flight cabin, interfering with the flight crew, and posing a threat to the safety of the aircraft and its occupants. As of now, no criminal charges have been filed against Wells in connection with the incident, only an “inflight violation” as confirmed by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.