After Ketty Dilone threatened to kill multiple crew members aboard an American Airlines flight from Charlotte to Las Vegas, she still managed to assault a flight attendant even while largely immobilized, according to an FBI probable cause affidavit unsealed Wednesday in federal court.
A bystander captured part of the tirade on video, which was later uploaded to TikTok.
Dilone, 47, does not yet have an attorney listed in court records and was unable to be contacted. Reached by phone, Dilone’s incredulous niece at first asked if someone was playing a practical joke on her, ultimately declining to comment on the record. Dilone’s daughter did not respond to requests for comment.
In an email, an American Airlines spokesperson told The Independent, “The safety of our customers and team members is our highest priority. We take this matter very seriously and are working closely with law enforcement on its investigation.”
About halfway through AA flight 2470’s journey on September 16, Dilone left her seat and began “walking down the aisle and yelling,” the probable cause affidavit states. At the same time, Dilone was “continually recording the entire aircraft,” it alleges.
When asked to stop filming, Dilone became enraged and “started to verbally threaten multiple flight attendants,” who notified the captain and co-pilot, the affidavit goes on.
“Dilone made several statements to the effect of, ‘I will kill you b***h!’” according to the affidavit. “Dilone also made aggressive postures towards the flight attendants when they attempted to calm her down.”
As Dilone continued her “disturbing and threatening” behavior, the cabin crew “physically restrained [her] in her seat with flex cuffs around her wrists and her seat belt,” the affidavit continues.
“To prevent Dilone from sliding out of the seat or the flex cuffs, a flight attendant (victim B.B.) taped Dilone’s torso utilizing duct tape,” it says. “After B.B. taped Dilone’s torso, Dilone kicked B.B twice[,] striking the back of her legs.”
According to the affidavit, Dilone first kicked B.B. in the calf/lower leg, then used both of her feet to kick B.B. behind the knees, causing them to fall forward.
“Dilone’s legs were then restrained with duct tape to prevent further injury to the flight attendants or other passengers,” the affidavit states.
In the footage on TikTok, Dilone can be heard screaming that the flex cuffs are hurting her, adding, “You don’t know what the f**k I been through, b***h.” She then recounts a tale from childhood of trying to kill her father by putting rat poison in his coffee.
“So if anybody wants to kill somebody,” Dilone announces to the surrounding travellers, “put rat poison in it, but make sure it’s not expired and make sure you put a lot of it, because it didn’t work for my daddy. He just fell asleep.”
The affidavit says that flight attendants were forced to rearrange passengers seated nearby, moving numerous travellers away from Dilone and placing “volunteer passengers” next to her.
“Additionally, flight attendants had to stand and monitor Dilone during the airplane’s descent, which prevented them from performing their duties of preparing and securing the aircraft for landing,” according to the affidavit.
Law enforcement met the flight upon landing at Harry Reid International Airport.
Officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department took Dilone into custody, after which the FBI, which has jurisdiction over crimes committed aboard U.S. aircraft, booked her on federal charges of interference with a flight crew, and assault by striking, beating, or wounding.
She was transported to the Henderson Detention Center in Henderson, Nevada.
In 2005, Dilone was arrested on felony domestic violence charges, but pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour and received a 30-day suspended sentence, a $340 fine that was waived, and was ordered to attend six months of counselling, county court records show.
So far this year, the FAA has received 1,154 reports of unruly passengers. In 2024, the agency fielded a total of 2,102 unruly passenger reports, a significant decline from a 2021 peak of 5,973.
Dilone now faces up to 20 years in prison on the flight crew interference charge, a felony. The assault charge, a misdemeanor, carries up to a year.
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