Man blames ‘turbulence’ after groping a female airline passenger

Aeroplanes are a scary enough place to be at the best of times, never mind having to worry about being harassed by your fellow passengers. 

You're hurtling through the air at about 12km above the ground, and a man decides it would be a great idea to place his hand on your lap – what do you do?

Well, one woman faced this exact level of harassment while travelling on a plane, and the case is currently being investigate by the FBI.

A female passenger on a United Airlines flight was travelling from New Jersey to Charlotte, North Carolina.

During the flight, the 73-year-old man sitting beside her allegedly groped her between her legs. 

The woman alerted airline staff of the alleged assault, and they were separated. 

The man blamed his hand movement on turbulence.

Sources told WSOC-TV that they saw commotion on the plane, and that the man was escorted off the aircraft by authorities after it landed.

'Im sure a woman knows the difference between a hand hitting her versus being groped,' another passenger told WSOC-TV.

According to their sources, the incident is now being investigated by the FBI as it happened in the air.