FAA Proposes $40K Fine on Passenger for Drinking, Drug Use, Sexual Assault

One man apparently left little to interpretation when it comes to unruly passengers.

The Federal Aviation Administration is proposing a $40,823 fine on a man accused of drinking, smoking marijuana, sexual assault and resisting arrest.

It’s part of a new wave of civil penalties being levied by the government agency totaling more than $160,000, according to Business Insider.

The man facing the $40K fine is one of eight drunk and disorderly cases sent before the FAA. The incident happened on a Southwest Airlines flight in April, but the carrier did not bring back alcoholic beverage service until late May of this year.

The FAA said the passenger was drinking alcohol he brought on board the flight, sexually assaulted a flight attendant who asked him to stop consuming the beverage, locked himself in a restroom and smoked marijuana, and resisted arrest when police boarded the flight after landing in San Diego.

Passengers are prohibited by federal regulations from drinking alcohol on a flight that was not originally served by a crew member, have long been prohibited from smoking any kind of cigarette, and cannot interfere with the flight crew.

There have been so many incidents this year that, by August, the FAA had handed out more than $1 million in fines.

There have been 5,240 incidents of unruly behavior on flights reported to the FAA this year alone, including 300 related to alcohol consumption and more than 100 involving physical assault of crew members.