Free Trial

Man faces up to 20 years in prison after disrupting flight

In this Oct. 15, 2020, file photo, a United Airlines airplane takes off over a plane on the runway at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco. A Virginia man faces up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty, Friday, Feb. 11, 2022, to interfering with the crew on a United Airlines flight last year. Prosecutors say 29-year-old Kameron Stone of Fairfax, Virginia, tried to open the cockpit door and struck a flight attendant who tried to stop him. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) — A 29-year-old man who struck a flight attendant and tried to open the cockpit door during a flight to Florida has pleaded guilty to interfering with a flight crew and could face 20 years in prison.

Prosecutors said Thursday that passengers noticed that Kameron C. Stone of Fairfax, Virginia, smelled strongly of alcohol, refused to stay in his seat, and pretended to shoot a gun at passengers during a United Airlines flight from Dulles airport in Virginia to Pensacola, Florida, last April.

As the plane began to descend for landing, Stone tried to open the cabin and cockpit doors. When a flight attendant attempted to stop him, Stone grabbed her shoulders and shoved her into a wall, bruising her chest, face, arm and shoulder, according to court documents.

Three passengers, including an off-duty federal marshal, restrained Stone, and three mini-bottles of vodka fell from his pocket during the tussle, according to prosecutors. Police met the plane when it landed.

Sentencing was scheduled for April 28 in federal district court in Pensacola.

Unruly passengers have become a bigger problem since the start of 2021. The Federal Aviation Administration said this week that it has received 394 complaints from airlines this year after getting nearly 6,000 reports last year. Most of the incidents are related to passengers not wearing face masks, and alcohol is involved in many cases.

Last week, Delta Air Lines CEO asked the federal government to create a new no-fly list for passengers who disrupt flights, similar to a federal list for people on a terrorism watch list.

Should You Invest $1,000 in United Airlines Right Now?

Before you consider United Airlines, you'll want to hear this.

MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and United Airlines wasn't on the list.

While United Airlines currently has a Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.

View The Five Stocks Here

Investing Strategies To Help Grow Your Retirement Income Cover

Need to stretch out your 401K or Roth IRA plan? Use these time-tested investing strategies to grow the monthly retirement income that your stock portfolio generates.

Get This Free Report
Like this article? Share it with a colleague.

Companies Mentioned in This Article

CompanyMarketRankâ„¢Current PricePrice ChangeDividend YieldP/E RatioConsensus RatingConsensus Price Target
United Airlines (UAL)
4.7249 of 5 stars
$80.94-1.7%N/A7.38Buy$104.50
Compare These Stocks  Add These Stocks to My Watchlist 

Featured Articles and Offers

Recent Videos

3 Made in America Stocks Under $20 You Need to See!
3 Cheap Growth Stocks Set to Explode This Summer
The Next NVIDIA? Quantum Computing Stocks Set for Explosive Growth

Stock Lists

All Stock Lists

Investing Tools

Calendars and Tools

Search Headlines