A woman with “insane strength” who assaulted an airline steward while drunk and tried to open the doors of a plane mid-flight has been jailed for two years.
Chloe Haines, 26, pleaded guilty to endangering the safety of an aircraft and assault by beating after an incident that saw a passenger plane to Turkey forced to divert back to Stansted Airport.
Yelling “I’m going to kill you all”, she was so violent that two RAF jets were scrambled to escort the Jet2 plane back to Britain on June 22.
Haines was accused by the airline of a “catalogue of aggressive, abusive and dangerous behaviour” on a flight bound for Dalaman in Turkey, including trying to open the aircraft doors during the flight.
She also admitted assaulting cabin crew member Charley Coombe during an appearance at Chelmsford Crown Court in December.
She later said she “blacked out and didn’t really remember what happened” after mixing alcohol with medication, said prosecutor Michael Crimp.
Haines was said to have been restrained by both crew and customers while the two Typhoon fighter jets chaperoned the plane back to Stansted.
The aircraft caused a sonic boom as they flew to meet the plane and escort it.
Judge Charles Gratwicke, sentencing Haines on Wednesday, said: “Those that are trapped in the confined space of the aircraft will inevitably be distressed, frightened and petrified by the actions of those who in a drunken state endanger their lives.
“For some it will be their worst nightmare come true.”
Haines, dressed in a white shirt and black top, with her blonde hair in a ponytail, sobbed through much of the hearing.
An ex-bouncer on board the flight told The Sun of Haines’ “insane strength” as he wrestled her to the floor during the incident.
Steven Brown, 58, said: “She was punching, kicking and screaming at the stewards. They were trying to stop her but they had no chance.
“She was only petite but she had the strength of a fully-grown man. The only time I’ve seen anything like that was when someone had just dropped acid. She had super strength.”
Haines, of Maidenhead in Berkshire, was arrested by Essex Police upon landing on suspicion of assault, criminal damage and endangering an aircraft.
Jet2 calculated that the incident cost it £86,000, the court heard.
Crimp said Haines had “lunged” at a door handle on the plane, which had 206 people on board.
One passenger later told police he “really feared she would open the door”, Crimp said, adding: “He said: ‘I honestly thought I was going to die.’”
Haines said “I want to die” and “I’m going to kill you all” as cabin crew and passengers restrained her.
“She continued to shout in a similar way,” said Crimp. “She was kicking and punching.”
A passenger had seen her drinking from a bottle in the overhead locker, he said, and a 200ml bottle of gin was later found in a duty free bag with around a quarter of its contents gone.
Haines said she had also been drinking in the airport, the prosecutor said.
Crimp said it was impossible to open the exit door mid-flight but many passengers did not know this.
The risk arose from all of the cabin crew dealing with the incident, he said, leaving them unable to deal with any further emergency or to be briefed by the pilot.
He added that the RAF jets were sent “in error”.
Haines had previously been convicted of a drink-driving offence and three counts of assaulting an emergency worker, which all happened in April 2019, 17 days before the incident.
Oliver Saxby QC, mitigating, said Haines has been diagnosed with mental ill health and has not touched alcohol since the day of the incident.
“She wasn’t just drunk, she was unwell,” he said.
He added: “She’s appalled, she’s ashamed, she’s deeply embarrassed by what she did.
“She’s disgusted with herself.”
He said Haines is unemployed with no savings and goes to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings up to four times a week.
Haines wept as she was led to the cells.