On January 3, an unruly passenger forced an American Airlines flight from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) in Montana to divert to Amarillo, Texas. The flight crew declared a Level 2 threat after reports that a man physically attacked a flight attendant. This incident forced American Airlines flight 1497 (AA 1497), which operates daily using a Boeing 737-800 aircraft, to land at Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport (AMA) at 2:20 p.m. local time.

Keith Edward Fagiana, a 61-year-old man from Las Vegas, was escorted off the aircraft after the altercation. Fagiana started by violently kicking a nearby passenger's chair before yelling at a flight attendant who told him not to disrupt other passengers. He later punched the flight attendant in the stomach once and in unknown body parts three more times before other passengers intervened. 

While the passengers helped physically restrain Fagiana, the flight attendant handcuffed and placed him into a seat to wait for law enforcement. At this point, the pilots were informed about the situation and conducted an emergency landing in Amarillo. Police entered the aircraft after landing and removed Fagiana from the flight, replacing his flex cuffs with steel handcuffs.

Detailed information about the incident was released in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas on January 5. The flight attendant informed the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) about the altercation, leading to a criminal investigation. Fagiana is charged with interfering with a flight crew and could face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty. Court documents also revealed that Fagiana kicked a police officer in the groin and spat on those removing him from the flight. He appeared in a federal court in Amarillo on January 8.

Fagiana acknowledged that he fought with police officers after his removal from the flight by stating his aversion to getting arrested. He also claimed not to remember anything from the flight after getting drunk on Captain Morgan rum before the flight. It is unclear if Fagiana drank at the bars in Terminal C at DFW, where AA 1497 departs from, or somewhere outside the airport. The flight departed once again after police officers removed the disruptive passenger in Amarillo. 

According to FlightAware, AA 1497 left Amarillo at 4:17 p.m. and returned to DFW at 5:04 p.m. local time. The same flight later departed DFW at 7:26 p.m. and arrived in Bozeman at 8:52 p.m. local time. Passengers on this flight experienced an approximately six-hour delay since AA 1497 normally lands in Bozeman between 2:00 and 3:00 p.m. local time. Local news offered a different account for the flight, stating that AA 1497 left Amarillo at 2:52 p.m.

American Airlines released this statement following the incident:

"Acts of violence are not tolerated by American Airlines and we are committed to working closely with law enforcement in their investigation."

January is a popular time for tourism in Bozeman due to the Rocky Mountains and the city's proximity to Yellowstone National Park. Regular snow makes Bozeman an appealing destination for passengers interested in skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. Bozeman is one of the closest airports to Yellowstone, alongside Jackson Hole Airport (JAC) in Wyoming. Aside from DFW, American Airlines also offers seasonal flights to Bozeman from Charlotte (CLT), Chicago-O'Hare (ORD), and Los Angeles (LAX). 

Incidents involving unruly passengers have declined from their 2021 peak. Data from the Federal Aviation Administration reveals 2,075 such incidents in 2023. This number represents a decline from 5,973 incidents in 2021 and 3,439 in 2022. Despite multiple reports of disruptive passengers in 2024 already, recent data suggests a decline this year.