Liquor bottles fall from man’s pocket as he opens cabin door mid-flight, feds say
A 29-year-old passenger was desperate to open the cabin door as a United Airlines flight began its final descent into Pensacola, Florida, last year, knocking a flight attendant into the galley as he struggled with the door’s lever, according to federal court filings.
Now he’s facing hefty fines and a possible prison sentence.
Kameron C. Stone, of Fairfax, Virginia, pleaded guilty to interfering with a flight crew and assault charges in the Northern District of Florida on Wednesday, Feb. 9, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release. Prosecutors said the charges stem from an incident that unfolded on a United Airlines flight from Dulles International Airport to Pensacola International Airport on April 16, 2021.
A defense attorney representing Stone and a representative from United did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on Feb. 10.
According to documents filed with his plea agreement, Stone was being “loud and obnoxious, and he smelled strongly of alcohol” during the flight. His behavior included verbally harassing other passengers and making finger guns while pretending to shoot them, prosecutors said.
One of the flight attendant’s on board had to repeatedly tell him to sit down and fasten his seat belt, court filings state.
The situation reportedly escalated as the plane began approaching the Pensacola airport to land.
Prosecutors said Stone got up from his seat, walked down the aisle and approached the flight attendant seated in a crew chair near the cabin door. When she tried to block the cabin and cockpit doors, Stone “pushed her, grabbed her shoulders, and shoved her into the galley wall,” according to the release.
She hit her head and arm in the process, court documents state.
“During the altercation, Stone successfully breached the main cabin door to the external portion of the plane, triggering the alarm and causing the pilots to declare an emergency with the Federal Aviation Administration,” prosecutors said.
According to court filings, the flight attendant had to grab Stone’s other hand to keep him from fully opening the door as she screamed “close the door” and “help me!”
Three mini-bottles of Pinnacle Vodka tumbled out of Stone’s pocket during the struggle, prosecutors said.
The government said three other passengers — including an off-duty U.S. Marshal — restrained Stone until they were safely at the gate. Law enforcement met the flight upon its arrival.
Stone later admitted that he had one or two alcoholic beverages before boarding the plane and drank the three small bottles of vodka once on board, according to court documents. He also said he wanted to apologize.
Stone faces up to 20 years in prison and $350,000 in fines when he is sentenced on April 28.
The number of investigations into reports of unruly passengers peaked in 2021 with nearly 1,100 cases, according to Federal Aviation Administration data. To date in 2022, there have been 394 reports of unruly passengers with 93 investigations initiated and 40 enforcement actions taken.
The FAA has a zero-tolerance policy for passengers who cause disturbances and can levy up to $37,000 in fines per violation.
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