The American socialite Paris Hilton intends to sue the producers of a TV program which subjected her to a prank in which she was made to think a plane she was on was crashing.
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According to the celebrity news website TMZ, Hilton has said she intends to sue the producers of the program Ramez Wakel Elgaw (Ramez in Control).
The program, which airs on Egyptian television, is hosted by Egyptian actor Ramez Galal.
The show has pulled the "crashing plane" stunt - in which a celebrity is duped into boarding an aerial sightseeing plane which turns into a nightmare flight - several times in the past.
Once aboard, and after a smooth takeoff, the celebrity mark is subjected to a series of terrifying dives, accentuated with alarms sounding and screaming fellow passengers, all intended to make the subject believe the plane is crashing.
In something that looks more like a scene from a low-budget disaster movie, Hilton clings to her seat throughout the ordeal, and shrieks in terror. "Where is the pilot? Why can't we land?" she screams, repeatedly.
At one point, the rear door of the plane is opened mid-flight and two passengers appear to jump for their lives into the ocean below. "Oh my god, no!" Hilton screams at that point. "I don't want to jump, I don't want to jump, I'm not jumping."
According to TMZ, Hilton is "furious" over the stunt.
The website reports Hilton has contacted her lawyers and instructed them to find out "who's responsible"; TMZ says she has a "solid case for emotional distress".
Despite the suggestion by some who have seen the clip that Hilton must have been "in" on the prank, TMZ says the 34-year-old daughter of Hilton hotel heir Rick Hilton insists she was not.
After the plane lands, Hilton is filmed in a near-hysterical state, only calming down after being repeatedly told by Ramez that it was a prank, and that she was not in any danger.
"That's been my biggest fear my whole life, dying in a plane," she said. "I have never had turbulence like that in my life. I am shaking."
When news broke of the stunt, Hilton's twitter account reposted many news articles and said it was the scariest moment of her life. Many have condemned the prank as tasteless and cruel.
Hilton's representatives have been contacted for comment.
