Flight attendant pleads guilty to secretly recording a 14-year-old girl in plane bathroom

A former American Airlines flight attendant, Estes Carter Thompson III, has pleaded guilty to secretly recording a 14-year-old girl in an airplane bathroom, along with possessing recordings of four other minors. Thompson, 37, from Charlotte, North Carolina, admitted to one count of attempted sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child sexual abuse images during a court appearance on Thursday.

The incident occurred on September 2, 2023, during a flight from Charlotte to Boston. After the girl found the main cabin lavatory occupied, Thompson escorted her to the first-class lavatory, claiming it was unoccupied. Before she entered, he misled her about needing to wash his hands and mentioned that the toilet seat was broken.

Upon entering the lavatory, the teenager discovered red stickers on the toilet seat lid that indicated it was out of service. Hidden beneath these stickers was Thompson's iPhone, which he had used to record her. After recognizing the situation, the girl took a picture of the stickers and the concealed phone before leaving.

Paul Llewellyn, representing the victim and others in related lawsuits, expressed relief over Thompson's guilty plea and praised the efforts of the U.S. Attorney's Office in the case. The 14-year-old girl’s lawsuit against American Airlines has been settled, while another lawsuit involving a 9-year-old girl from Texas is set for trial next July.

Further investigation revealed numerous images in Thompson's iCloud account related to child sexual abuse, including AI-generated content. Thompson, who has not worked for American Airlines since the discovery of his phone, faces significant prison time due to the charges, with potential sentences totaling 15-30 years for attempted exploitation and up to 20 years for possession of abusive images.