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During Sexual Assault and Prevention Month, learn how to protect yourself
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation
Trends: Sexual assault on aircraft
- 20% of incidents involved a minor victim.
- 38% of incidents resulted in a federal charge or conviction.
- 67% of incidents involved alcohol or drugs.
- Incidents typically occur on long-haul commercial flights, although they may happen on shorter flights as well.
- Offenders are typically male, seated directly next to the victim, and often under the influence of alcohol or drugs. An offender may try to conceal their activities by using a blanket to cover the victim or taking advantage of a darkened cabin.
- Victims are typically a female traveling alone or an unaccompanied minor, although flight crew can also become the targets of sexual predatory behavior. The victim is typically sitting in the middle or window seat.
Within the enclosed space of an aircraft, personal space is often limited, creating an environment that can make it easier for criminals to sexually assault fellow passengers.
Sexual assault aboard aircraft—which usually takes the form of unwanted touching—is a federal crime that can land offenders in prison.
In 2024, the FBI investigated 104 sexual assault aboard aircraft cases. The number of incidents, however, could be higher, as additional incidents may have gone unreported.
Learning more about this type of crime and what to do if you are assaulted or witness an assault can help bring justice to victims—and prevent future cases of abuse.
The Q&A below includes insight from subject matter experts FBI Special Agent Greg Tarbert and Federal Air Marshal and FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force Officer David DArcangelis. Tarbert and DArcangelis are both airport liaisons working with FBI Tampa to enforce federal laws at Orlando International Airport.
Q&A
Q: What is the FBI’s jurisdiction in investigating crimes on aircraft?
A: The special aircraft jurisdiction of the federal government covers any aircraft—from commercial to military—that is in flight and will land in the U.S. or its next destination will be in the U.S.
Tarbert explained, “We investigate crimes that violate Title 49 or Title 18 while in the air. When the aircraft doors have been closed, that’s when the special aircraft jurisdiction starts. And when the aircraft arrives at its destination and the doors open, that’s the end of our jurisdiction. This applies to domestic as well as international airlines—as long as the aircraft is going to be landing somewhere in the U.S., then we have authority when it lands.”
The FBI has airport liaison agents (ALA) assigned to the nearly 450 U.S. aviation facilities that have passenger screening operations regulated by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). In larger airports, multi-agency task forces, like the Joint Terrorism Task Force, are on location to further assist in investigating criminal matters, such as sexual assault, as well as national security matters, such as terrorism and espionage.
Q: What is the role of U.S. air marshals?
A: Air marshals’ primary focus is security when the aircraft is in-flight or when the door is closed, per special aircraft jurisdiction. Once the aircraft touches ground, air marshals closely coordinate with the FBI and other law enforcement who are waiting when the aircraft door opens.
Q: What are common factors across sexual assault aboard aircraft cases?
A: Sexual assaults typically occur on long commercial flights, and offenders tend to be male, seated directly next to the victim, and under the influence of alcohol or drugs. They may try to conceal their activities, for instance, by using a blanket to cover the victim or taking advantage of a darkened cabin.
Victims are typically solo female passengers or unaccompanied minors, although flight crew members can also become the targets of sexual predatory behavior. Usually, victims are sitting in a middle or window seat when they are attacked. “It’s kind of a closed-off area where a potential assaulter or attacker can target victims with fewer witnesses,” said DArcangelis.
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Report incidents and tips
If you’ve been the victim of one of these crimes or have witnessed one take place, report it to your flight crew. You can also contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or tips.fbi.gov.
“A flight can give an appearance of being safe and secure and almost even an intimate setting that affords an attacker a sense of power or a sense of closeness that is not actually there. But these are all strangers.”
FBI Special Agent Greg Tarbert
Q: What should you do if you’re being attacked?
A: If someone is attacking you on the flight, Tarbert explains that the first thing you should do “is to make noise, make a ruckus, and tell the person to stop—and then notify the flight crew as quickly as possible to hopefully get reassigned to a new seat and to explain what happened so the flight crew can notify law enforcement on the ground to meet the aircraft when it lands.”
Offenders may take advantage of the fact that some victims might not report an incident because they are embarrassed, don’t want to cause a scene, or try to convince themselves the assault was accidental.
“If you need a reason to get out of your seat and find a flight attendant, you can use the excuse of going to the restroom to get up and talk to them. Or you can hit the flight attendant call button and when they come over you could say something like, ‘Hey, can I come back and get a water’ or ‘I would like to get another snack, and I’ll pay for it,’” said Tarbert.
Q: What should you do if you witness an attack?
A: Notify the flight crew as soon as possible.
Q: Why is it important to promptly notify the flight crew if you’ve been attacked or witness an attack?
A: Timely notification to law enforcement is key—crime aboard aircraft is more difficult to investigate once days, or even hours, have passed following the incident since witnesses depart and recollections fade. The more advance notice the flight crew has, the more information they can provide to law enforcement to assist upon landing.
“The ultimate authority on a flight is the flight crew and captain,” said Tarbert. “Their job is maintaining the safety and security of the flight until the aircraft lands. They’re the ones who are going to coordinate a response with law enforcement.”
The flight crew can share information such as passenger flight manifests and seat numbers, incident timelines, and timezones in which the incident occurred, all of which can assist in the investigation.
With timely notification, FBI agents and other law enforcement can also be on scene when the plane lands to conduct interviews, take subjects into custody, and offer victim services.
This is important because gathering all parties relevant to an investigation can be challenging. “For many passengers, when they land, they’re just focused on getting to their destination and often don’t stick around at the gate,” said DArcangelis. Flight crew members also face time constraints to avoid delaying their next flight.
Trends: Sexual assault on aircraft
- 20% of incidents involved a minor victim.
- 38% of incidents resulted in a federal charge or conviction.
- 67% of incidents involved alcohol or drugs.
- Incidents typically occur on long-haul commercial flights, although they may happen on shorter flights as well.
- Offenders are typically male, seated directly next to the victim, and often under the influence of alcohol or drugs. An offender may try to conceal their activities by using a blanket to cover the victim or taking advantage of a darkened cabin.
- Victims are typically a female traveling alone or an unaccompanied minor, although flight crew can also become the targets of sexual predatory behavior. The victim is typically sitting in the middle or window seat.
Q: How can you protect yourself while aboard an aircraft?
A: Always be aware of your surroundings and the people sitting around you while you’re on a plane.
“A flight can give an appearance of being safe and secure and almost even an intimate setting that affords an attacker a sense of power or a sense of closeness that is not actually there. But these are all strangers,” said Tarbert.
“There’s very little expectation of privacy on a plane, but you can still work on maintaining your personal space,” he continued. “The person next to you might be trying to test how you respond to them. They might brush your leg, they might brush your shoulder, they might brush other parts of you just to see how you respond.
“It’s important to maintain a low threshold of what you might find creepy. If you find something to be creepy, then you should tell the flight attendant and look for a new seat because you’re in too close of a space.”
Additional tips:
- Be mindful of seating arrangements when traveling alone.
- Make sure that your armrest is down to help maintain some personal space.
- Be aware that many assaults happen during red-eye flights when the lights are dim and passengers may be asleep.
- If possible, avoid prescription sleep pills that could make you less aware of what’s going on.
- Limit your alcohol intake. Drinking on board planes intensifies the effects of alcohol due to the lower oxygen levels in the cabin.
- When traveling with children, whether a single family or a large sports team, work with the airlines, gate agents, or flight attendants to try to seat everyone together.
- If your child will be flying as an unaccompanied minor, work with the airline to try to reserve an aisle seat for the child and ensure the flight attendants offer additional care and attention.
