Texas woman sneaked through security after American Airlines meltdown: police docs
Tiffany Gomas' revoked boarding pass was still active in the TSA system when she returned to security checkpoint
A Dallas woman kicked off an American Airlines flight from Texas to Orlando after freaking out on video was able to return to the secure side of the airport after multiple attempts to pass through a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint, police documents reveal.
Tiffany Gomas, a 38-year-old marketing executive, was charged with trespassing after the viral meltdown before takeoff from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport July 2.
She voluntarily got off the plane and left the terminal, but then allegedly tried multiple times to get back through airport security.
Although her boarding pass had been revoked, apparently it was still active in the TSA system, according to a police report.
"After our initial interaction, Communications advised that GOMAS kept going through the TSA Checkpoint and attempting to make her way to the secure side of the terminal," officers wrote.
"At 1845 hours, Communications advised GOMAS had gone through the TSA Checkpoint at A12 and had made her way to the secured side of the terminal. An Americans Airlines manager … informed us that even though GOMAS’ ticket had been revoked, and she was denied boarding, TSA’s system still recognized her ticket as valid."
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The officers added that "no breach occurred" because Gomas still went through all the steps of the screening process.
The TSA confirmed that when Gomas returned to the checkpoint, she was not carrying any prohibited items and did not pose a risk to aviation security.
TSA agents did not have the authority to arrest her, but airport police responded a second time and ultimately found her outside waiting for an Uber. Then she left.
The viral video not only inspired countless imitations and reactions online, it also has artists replicating the scene on canvas, stickers, T-shirts and memes.
One image by painter Travis Chapman shows an illustrated Gomas gesturing to a cabin packed with made-up characters – including Bigfoot, a unicorn and a big-eyed alien.
Graphic language warning:
"The inspiration was seeing the video 1,000 times, and what she was saying about the ‘motherf---er is not real,’ so I just included all the imaginary creatures I could think of," he told FOX Business.
Canvas copies can be found on his Etsy page, where the painting got nearly a thousand five-star reviews on the first day it went up for sale.
According to the police report, Gomas initially got into an argument with a family member over her Apple AirPods before she told flight attendants she didn't think the plane was safe or could reach its destination in one piece.
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In a profanity-laced video, Gomas appeared agitated and distressed as she marched down the aisle and declared, "I’m telling you, I’m getting the f--- off and there’s a reason why I’m getting the f--- off, and everyone can either believe it or they can not believe it."
Moments later, she gestured toward someone at the back of the plane.
Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
---|---|---|---|---|
AAPL | APPLE INC. | 229.04 | -0.50 | -0.22% |
AAL | AMERICAN AIRLINES GROUP INC. | 11.76 | -0.17 | -1.42% |
"I don’t give two f---s, but I am telling you right now – that motherf---er back there is not real," she said.
The footage was first posted by a TikTok user @texaskansasnnn, but it has since been removed from that account.
The comedian Carrot Top was also a passenger on the flight.
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He told Fox News' "America Reports" that, at first, he thought the woman was involved in a domestic incident.
"Like, she brought this guy on a date, and ‘he’s not real.' He promised her a weekend and whatever, and it derailed," the comedian said.
Flight attendants kicked Gomas off the plane and called police, but Carrot Top and the rest of the passengers also had to deplane and were delayed about four hours, he said.
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"American Airlines handled it perfectly," he said. "They very calmly got her off the plane, and they came and spoke to us and got us off the plane."
According to the police report, flight attendants felt that the plane needed to be re-screened after the incident.
"Gomas appeared extremely distraught, crying and repeating the flight was not safe and would not make it to Florida," police wrote.
A second, longer video of the encounter recorded by another passenger revealed flight attendants trying to calm Gomas down as she repeatedly told them "I need to get the f--- off this plane."
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They reassured her the plane was returning to the gate and asked her to sit down.
"I am not sitting by that man," she replied, again gesturing toward the rear of the plane.
Fox News Digital could not reach Gomas for this story.
FOX Business' Megan Henney contributed to this report.