CHICAGO— United Airlines (UA) is facing a lawsuit in a California district court after reportedly terminating a 76-year-old aircraft technician who took a bottle of water from an airplane while experiencing a medical emergency on the job.
Frank Bucci, a long-serving technician stationed at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), was dismissed in June 2025 after drinking from a passenger’s water bottle during a bout of heart palpitations and lightheadedness he says were caused by prolonged exposure to the sun. He is now suing United Airlines (UA) for disability discrimination, age discrimination, and retaliation.
United Technician Fired After Taking a Water Bottle
According to the lawsuit, Bucci had been working outdoors at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in April 2025, where warm conditions led to dehydration and a sudden onset of heart palpitations and lightheadedness.
He boarded a United Airlines aircraft as part of a routine safety equipment check when he felt too ill to continue. Fearing he would pass out, he took a bottle of water from the aircraft’s onboard passenger supplies and drank it to relieve his symptoms.
Shortly after the incident, his managers were informed and launched an investigation. Bucci did not deny taking the water bottle, but explained the medical circumstances behind his decision.
Despite his explanation, United Airlines (UA) proceeded with a formal disciplinary process and terminated him by June 2025, PYOK reported.
Similar Lawsuit
The legal complaint draws a direct parallel to a 2014 lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against Walgreens.
In that case, a cashier consumed a $1.39 bag of chips from the store shelf during a hypoglycemic attack without first paying for it. Walgreens terminated the employee, but ultimately entered into a consent decree and paid $180,000 in damages to settle the EEOC lawsuit.
The key legal argument in the Walgreens case was that the company could not point to any misconduct independent of the employee’s disability.
As reported by PYOK, Bucci’s legal team argues the circumstances in his case are substantially identical. His sudden incapacitation due to dehydration-induced heart palpitations, they contend, constitutes a temporary disability, and his act of taking water was a direct response to that medical emergency rather than deliberate misconduct.
Age Discrimination Allegations and Unequal Treatment
Beyond the disability angle, Bucci also alleges that his termination was driven by age discrimination.
He claims that United Airlines (UA) used his dismissal as an opportunity to replace him with “substantially younger” technicians, suggesting his age was a factor in the decision to terminate rather than discipline or counsel him.
The lawsuit further points to evidence of unequal treatment, alleging that younger employees at United had committed significantly more serious workplace violations without facing termination or formal reprisal. This alleged disparity is central to the age discrimination claim and mirrors arguments used successfully in a prior United Airlines case.
In 2013, two veteran United flight attendants operating on a route between Denver International Airport (DEN) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO) were dismissed after an undercover supervisor observed them vaping mid-flight, sitting on metal galley boxes in violation of safety protocols, and watching a video on an iPad together.
The two attendants chose to retire before being formally dismissed, but later sued for age discrimination. A jury ultimately awarded them a $2 million settlement, with the court accepting their argument that the violations were minor and commonplace, and that younger crew members engaging in similar behavior faced no consequences.
Safety Complaints and Possible Retaliation
The lawsuit also raises the possibility that Bucci’s termination was partly retaliatory in nature. He had reportedly raised safety concerns with his supervisors following a July 2024 incident in which a nearly 30-year-old Boeing 757 lost a tire during takeoff from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
His supervisor allegedly dismissed his concerns and indicated that on-time departures should take priority over the issues he raised.
That incident at LAX came fewer than five months after a wheel separated from a United Airlines (UA) Boeing 777 during takeoff from San Francisco International Airport (SFO), falling into an employee parking lot and crushing multiple vehicles.
Bucci’s complaint suggests that his consistent raising of safety issues may have made him a target for removal, and that the water bottle incident provided a convenient justification for dismissal.
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