Image via Complex Original
Traveling via airplane can be a nightmare. You have to deal with massive crowds filled with people convinced that their destination is more important than yours. The great equalizer is that we all have to pass through the same ring of hell: the TSA checkpoint. Ever since bodyscanners became widespread in 2010, it's only gotten worse. The revealing scan's only alternative is an intrusive pat down. Naturally, there have been plenty of helacious tales, which began flooding the news that November. We found some of the most egregious cases to bring you 15 TSA Horror Stories.
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Woman Misses Flight Due to Gender
Date: February 2012
Airport: Rock Springs–Sweetwater County Airport
Jennifer Winning was supposed to fly from Wyoming to Colorado but was denied boarding because no female agents were available to conduct a search. Winning asked point blank if she would be able to board if were she a man. The TSA told her yes.
Gun Crusader Strips Down to Shorts
Date: November 2010
Airport: San Diego International Airport
Sam Wolanyk decided to render a bodyscan and a patdown unnecessary by stripping down to his "Calvin Klein bicycle-like shorts." TSA didn't like the method, telling him to put his clothes on so an agent could conduct a real search. When Wolanyk refused, he was arrested for refusing to complete the search and attempting to record the incident.
Three-Year-Old Given Full Body Search
Date: November 2010
Airport: Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport
Bad idea: giving a full body search to a three-year-old girl. An even worse idea: doing it to the daughter of a TV reporter. The girl's father posted a video of the ordeal and asked, "Did it have to be like this?"
Woman Sues After Breasts Exposed in Search
Date: May 2008
Airport: Corpus Christi International Airport
A woman from Amarillo, Texas sued the federal government, alleging that a TSA agent pulled her blouse completely down and exposed her breasts. Even worse, the woman says agents were laughing about the incident. "As would be expected, plaintiff was extremely embarrassed and humiliated," the lawsuit said. Her suit was settled a year later for an undisclosed amount of money.
Mom Claims "Sexual Assault" After Intrusive Search Without Warning
Date: November 2010
Airport: Dayton International Airport
These sort of searches seem to be the norm, unfortunately. Abnormal was that this Mom blogger wasn't warned she'd be searched down her pants and in her bra. Erin Chase says that a TSA agent felt her buttocks, vagina, and breasts. She woke up shaking the next day and lodged complaints with TSA and Dayton police.
Four-Year-Old Forced to Remove Leg Brace
Date: March 2009
Airport: Philadelphia International Airport
Despite not being able to walk without them, a four-year-old boy was forced to take off his leg braces while going through security. The TSA later apologized and said that nobody should be forced to take off their braces.
Eight-year-old On Watch List
Date: January 2010
Airport: Varies
Mikey Hicks, a little boy, committed the terrible crime of having the same name as another Michael Hicks, whom the Department of Homeland Security deemed suspicious and placed on the "selectee" list, which sets off a high level of security screening. Since he was an infant, little dude has been hastled every time he tries to travel. Considering he was born a month before 9/11, he's probably not a threat.
Woman Arrested Over Applesauce
Date: April 2009
Airport: Bob Hope Airport
Apparently grabbing your own cooler from a TSA agent's hands is considered assault. It all started with an argument over applesauce, which Nadine Kay Hays tried to bring through security for her 93-year-old mother. A year after the incident, the charges were finally dropped.
Woman Forced to Remove Nipple Ring
Date: February 2009
Airport: Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport
We can't imagine how awkward it was when Mandi Hamlin's nipple rings set off metal detectors. She offered to show them to an agent in private, but was told she couldn't board her plane unless she removed the rings. Hamlin had trouble with one of the rings and ended up having to remove it with pliers. "I wouldn't wish this experience upon anyone," Hamlin said.
TSA Threatens to Sue Man Who Refused Search, Yelled, "Don't Touch My Junk"
Date: November 2010
Airport: San Diego International Airport
After yelling, "Don't touch my junk," and refusing a patdown, John Tyner was presented with two options: proceed with the search or don't travel. Tyner chose the later. When he tried to leave, he was accosted, leaving him to believe he was set up. As his story went viral, the TSA was looking into suing Tyner for leaving the security area without permission.
Sikh Man Forced to Let Agent Search Turban
Date: February 2013
Airport: San Francisco International Airport
Simran Jeet Singh was on his way back to New York from San Francisco when he suffered "one of the most humiliating moments of my life." A TSA agent searched Singh's turban, which is an important religious symbol for Sikhs. Touching their turbans is considered extremely disrespectful.
Woman Says Agent Felt Inside Her Underwear
Date: November 2010
Airport: Unknown
"It was basically worse than going to the gynecologist." That's what ABC producer Carolyn Durand said during a piece on airport passenger outrage after a TSA agent felt inside her underwear during a patdown.
Cancer Survivor Forced to Remove Prosthetic Breast
Date: August 2010
Airport: Charlotte Douglas International Airport
TSA agents patting down Cathy Bossi were perplexed that one of her breasts felt strange. Bossi explained that it was a prosthetic and that she was a breast cancer survivor. Unmoved, the agent then asked her to remove the prosthetic in an experience that Bossi called "horrific."
Humiliated Traveler Leaves Screening Covered in Urine
Date: March 2011
Airport: Detroit Metropolitan Airport
Thomas Sawyer is a bladder cancer survivor who has to wear an urostomy bag. After seeing the bag on the scanner, TSA agents selected Sawyer for a pat-down. Sawyer warned that the hitting the bag could break the seal, but was ignored. Sure enough, the seal broke and Sawyer became soaked in his own urine. He had to continue the rest of his trip humiliated.
Shirtless Boy Searched
Date: November 2010
Airport: Salt Lake City International
Luke Tait posted a video of a shirtless young boy being searched by the TSA. Tait said that the boy was "too shy" for the TSA to complete the search. Frustrated, the boys father took off his son's shirt to expedite the process. This isn't the only story of the TSA having trouble with kids, so we have to ask why they give the youngsters such a hard time.