Flight Diverted After Crew Restrains Passenger With T

mjg407

Well-Known Member
RALEIGH, North Carolina — An airline crew used duct tape to keep a passenger in her seat because they say she became unruly, fighting flight attendants and grabbing other passengers, forcing the flight to land in North Carolina.
Maria Esther Castillo is due in court Thursday, charged with resisting arrest and interfering with the operations of a flight crew aboard United Airlines Flight 645, from Puerto Rico to Chicago.
Castillo, 45, struck a flight attendant on the buttocks with the back of her hand during Saturday's flight, FBI Special Agent Peter Carricato said in a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Charlotte. She also stood and fell onto the head of a blind passenger and later started pulling the person's hair, the complaint stated.
Ankle cuffs kept slipping off Castillo, so the flight crew and two passengers were forced to use duct tape to keep her in her seat, the complaint states.
She calmed as the pilot diverted the flight to Charlotte-Douglass International Airport, but became disruptive again when authorities boarded the plane to remove her, authorities said.
Carricato states that a passenger saw Castillo having drinks in an airport bar before boarding. She bought another drink on the plane. Flight attendants stopped serving her alcohol because of her behavior, the complaint states.
 
Ankle cuffs kept slipping off Castillo, so the flight crew and two passengers were forced to use duct tape to keep her in her seat, the complaint states.

You know, I keep hearing about flex cuffs falling off or pax being able to get out of them. I have used flex cuffs in close-quarters combat training and if used properly work just fine. I am starting to think that these FAs are afraid of hurting the unruly pax and just not tightening them enough. They need to feel the pain for the consequences to be fully comprehended :D.
 
They actually carry duct tape on the flight?

I used to. Seriously!



You would not believe the stuff I ended up using it for...

-Wrapping around ATR armrests when the ashtrays would fall out, leaving a hole & sharp metal edge exposed.
-Repairing overnight bags & kit bags
-Reattaching the metal edge to the flimsy door to cargo 3 on the ATR
-Taping the list of connecting gates to the galley
-Taping down frayed edges of carpet
-Repairing holes in the recliners in the crew lounge

The list goes on and on....

I quit carrying it when I went to AA. I figured a roll of duct tape was okay for a regional puke to carry, but at a major I thought it might look a little odd..... After 9/11 we got flexicuffs issued to us as pax restraints. Never had to use them. It was part of our "required equipment", and I had to turn them in with my manuals & ID when I got furloughed.
 
I was just thinking about that. I really don't think we carry much on the CRJ that could be used to lock a passenger down. Maybe the demo seat belt could be used to tie their hands together. And I think we have some medical tape in the EMK, but certainly not duct tape. If it's not SSI, do the long haul guys know if they have zip ties and what not onboard?
 
I like using the zip ties when I have some nasty person I need to arrest. A lot of the criminals have figured out how to get out of them though. If they have a shoe lace, they can rube the lace against the zip tie and it gets hot enough that they can pull them apart. I swear, if some of these guys put their imagination towards something constructive, they would probably be pretty successful. BTW, I definitely think that all flights need to have a couple sets of hand cuffs aboard.
 
We carry zipties to isolate circuit breakers that are MEL'd. Might not stand up to crazy drunkards though...
 
Everyone, including me, seems to have forgotten the reason for the duct tape in the first place. Drunkenness. Do you think we'll ever see the day when airlines cut out the serving of alcohol. Nope. Too much revenue involved. Until then, flight crews have to deal with the consequences of a "nasty drunk." On my flights that generally are an hour in duration, I can't for the life of me understand why a passenger needs to consume 2-3 drinks. :rolleyes:
 
Everyone, including me, seems to have forgotten the reason for the duct tape in the first place. Drunkenness. Do you think we'll ever see the day when airlines cut out the serving of alcohol. Nope. Too much revenue involved. Until then, flight crews have to deal with the consequences of a "nasty drunk." On my flights that generally are an hour in duration, I can't for the life of me understand why a passenger needs to consume 2-3 drinks. :rolleyes:

especially when a mini costs 4-5 bucks!
 
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