Kristina Kedysheva, 37, has been deported and all federal charges against her dropped after a drunken midair meltdown forced a United Airlines flight to divert.
Federal prosecutors in Maine abandoned the case against the Russian national after US immigration authorities removed her from the country, Assistant US Attorney Andrew McCormack said, according to reports. Kedysheva had faced up to 21 years in prison on charges of interfering with a flight crew and assault aboard an aircraft.
The dismissal came even though investigators alleged Kedysheva caused significant disruption aboard United Flight 18, a transatlantic journey from Milan, Italy, to Newark, New Jersey. About four hours into the flight, she repeatedly demanded more alcohol after already consuming several drinks, according to an FBI court document. When flight attendants refused, she grew increasingly aggressive, ignored instructions to return to her seat, and began filming crew members with her phone while calling them “racist.”
She allegedly had to be held down by five people to prevent her from trying to open a door midair. During the struggle, she bit one flight attendant’s wrist and kicked the same crew member in the stomach, court documents state. The flight attendant suffered a shoulder injury requiring medical attention.
Crew members and passengers, including a couple from Toms River, New Jersey, helped overpower Kedysheva and kept her restrained until the aircraft landed. The Boeing 777 carried 274 passengers and 13 crew members when pilots made the unscheduled diversion to Bangor International Airport.
At the airport, Kedysheva was met by local police, US Customs and Border Protection officers, and FBI Special Agents. She told investigators through a Russian interpreter that she had been traveling to New York to celebrate a friend’s 40th birthday.
“Further prosecution was not in the interests of justice,” Maine US Attorney Andrew B. Benson said, according to reports. The charges were dismissed without determination of guilt.
Kedysheva spent roughly three weeks in custody in Bangor before being released on October 1 and turned over to immigration authorities. She was subsequently deported, ending the case abruptly.
The incident had forced the unscheduled landing in Bangor, where Kedysheva was removed from the plane and initially charged with interfering with flight crew members and assault aboard an aircraft. The charges carried a maximum sentence of 21 years behind bars.