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A drunk Russian plane passenger heading to a party in New York had to be held down by five people to stop her from opening a door midair — and then bit and kicked a flight attendant who refused to serve her more booze, according to court documents.
The chaos caused the flight from Italy to be diverted to Maine on Tuesday, just days after another Newark-bound flight was diverted when a crazed passenger was duct-taped and zip-tied to his seat.
Kristina Kedysheva, 36, was reportedly acting “nutty” and slurring her words as she demanded alcohol — then filmed crew members while calling them “racist” when they refused, according to an affidavit seen by The Post.
After refusing the captain’s orders to return to her seat, Kedysheva reached for the handle of the aircraft’s rear door — before five flight crew members and passengers restrained her, according to the complaint.
While being restrained, she allegedly bit a flight attendant on the wrist and kicked them in the stomach, injuring their shoulder and causing breathing difficulties, according to the affidavit.
Kedysheva, who was described as “nutty” by a fellow passenger, also allegedly scratched another passenger on the arm, requiring medical treatment, as per the complaint.
The unhinged passenger continued flailing and thrashing against her restraints for some three hours, forcing United Airlines Flight 18 to divert to Bangor, Maine, shortly before 12:00 p.m. Tuesday.
After landing, Kedysheva was arrested by local police, US Customs and Border Protection officers, and FBI Special Agents.
During an FBI interview with a Russian language interpreter, Kedysheva said she was traveling to New York to celebrate a friend’s 40th birthday.
She admitted to drinking three glasses of red wine and a whiskey and cola in the first few hours of the flight, but claimed flight crew became rude to her once they refused to serve her more alcohol.
Kedysheva blamed the flight attendant for causing the commotion, claiming that the physical altercation started when an “Italian guy” came and took her cell phone away, according to the affidavit.
She also denied biting anyone but conceded she could have scratched them.
“It was too much, so quickly. Maybe, maybe, but I think it’s OK in this situation,” she told the FBI Special Agents, as per the complaint.
Video retrieved from Kedysheva’s cellphone shows her filming her arguments with flight attendants, demanding more booze, and refusing to get back in her seat, despite warnings that the pilot is “going to land in Canada” if she doesn’t sit down, according to the affidavit.
Kedysheva appeared in a court in Penobscot County, Maine, on Wednesday on charges of interference with a flight crew member or attendant and assault, as per the complaint.
Airlines have reported 1,200 unruly passenger incidents so far in 2026, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Passengers who assault crew members can face fines of up to $43,658 per violation, according to the FAA, which is investigating.
United Airlines confirmed that Flight 18, a Boeing 777 with 274 passengers and 13 crew, landed safely in Bangor before continuing on to Newark once the passenger had been removed and handed over to law enforcement.
It comes just days after another Newark-bound flight was forced to divert due to the actions of a passenger.
Arthur Lundeen, 67, allegedly launched a racist and homophobic rant against flight crew before becoming physically abusive during Thursday night’s American Airlines Flight 618 from Dallas.
He had to be restrained to his seat with duct tape and zip ties by crew and other passengers as the flight was forced to divert to Baltimore, according to the Maryland Transportation Authority Police.
Lundeen, an Arizona-based real estate agent, has since been fired, his company said in a statement on Sunday.
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