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.
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