Houston, Texas – A woman exposed herself in front of passengers on a Southwest Airlines flight, forcing the plane to return to the gate before takeoff.
Southwest flight WN-733 was taxiing for takeoff from Houston Hobby Airport on March 5 when the incident unfolded. The Boeing 737 was scheduled to fly to Phoenix Sky Harbor.
Video filmed by passenger Macy Estevez shows the woman standing at the front of the plane, gripping the overhead bins and laughing as passengers watched. In another video posted by Estevez, the woman is seen pacing through the aisle and cursing at other passengers.
The pilots taxied the aircraft back to the gate, where officers from the Houston Police Department met the plane. The woman was taken to a local hospital for medical evaluation.
The flight eventually departed more than 90 minutes late, although it made up some of the lost time in the air.
Southwest later emailed passengers apologizing for the “unexpected disturbances” and said it valued the safety and security of its customers and employees.
Passengers were proactively offered $50 future travel vouchers following the incident.
It remains unclear whether the woman faces criminal charges. The Federal Aviation Administration can impose civil penalties of up to $35,000 per violation of aviation safety rules.
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