FAA Official, Flight Attendant In Altercation Aloft
An FAA official was handcuffed and detained when she disembarked in Kansas City after an altercation during a Southwest Airlines flight on March 26, The Kansas City Star reported on Saturday. A flight standards manager for the Central Region, she had argued with a flight attendant, according to the Star. The flight attendant told police that the official had confronted him about how he was handling a disturbance in the back of the airplane. He told the official to sit down and let him handle it, and the official allegedly became verbally combative and shoved him. Police and investigators from the Transportation Security Administration met the airplane when it landed, and the official was handcuffed after she objected to being detained. The official was questioned and released, and no charges were filed in the incident. An FAA spokesman told the Star that interference with flight-crew operations violates federal aviation law and is subject to a civil fine of up to $10,000.

http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/avflash/380-full.html#189501

Interesting... If it were you or me that caused any kind of disturbance on a commercial flight, we would be instantly arrested. Guess FAA officials have free reign to do as they please. Note too, the article doesn't even name the official.

Actually, AvWeb often only gives brief summaries of stories and often omits details that are carried in other news sources:

KCI police handcuff, detain FAA official

By BILL GRAHAM The Kansas City Star

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating an in-flight argument between a senior manager in its Kansas City office and a flight attendant.

Marion B. Dittman, the flight standards manager who oversees a four-state region, was handcuffed and detained by KCI Airport Police on March 26 after she stepped off a flight, according to a police report.

Efforts to reach Dittman, 62, of Parkville for comment were unsuccessful Friday, and several calls to her office and home were not returned. Dittman was not arrested in the incident, and no charges have been filed.

The flight standards office is responsible for enforcing FAA regulations and ensuring safety.

According to the report, a Southwest Airlines flight attendant told police that Dittman argued with him about a commotion in the back of the plane during an afternoon flight. The attendant told Dittman that he would handle the matter and that she should sit down because the captain had turned on the seat-belt sign.

Dittman then became verbally combative, the attendant told police, and while seated she shoved him in the lower chest area. He told Dittman that he could have her arrested when the flight landed, according to the report, and she replied, "No you won't," and said she worked for the FAA.

Police officers met Dittman as she left the plane and told her she would be detained to provide a statement. She demanded to speak to the captain and flung her hands into the air, according to the report. Dittman was then handcuffed "due to her demeanor."

Transportation Security Administration investigators were called to the scene. The flight attendant told them that he would not pursue charges. Dittman was interviewed by federal agents and released.

Whitney Eichinger, a spokeswoman for Southwest Airlines, confirmed the incident but referred all questions to the FAA.

Tony Molinaro, an FAA spokesman based in Chicago, said no determination had been made about disciplinary action.

He said interference with flight-crew operations violated federal aviation law and was subject to a civil fine of up to $10,000.

Thanks for that info, CD, it will be interesting to see what happens. From the sound of the article this official certainly seems to have an attitude.

I wonder what the outcome of this was? Does anyone know if this has been resolved?