Narrative:

The flight was for prisoner transport from hnl to sat and iah. 64 female prisoners and 236 male prisoners. All were wrist shackled to waist chains. (Medium security prisoners.) on this overwater flight at altitude, prisoners would have had severe difficulty reaching emergency passenger oxygen masks. Putting on life vests would be impossible. 1 unruly female prisoner may have been hog-tied and laying on the cabin floor for takeoff. Enough guards were not available to protect flight attendants at the doors during boarding. Result was some doors not manned during the boarding process. Abc airline's policy manual page xx states 'it is the intent of abc airlines to adhere to crash fire rescue equipment 108.11 and reserves the right to be more restrictive and therefore, will not carry prisoners of any risk category.' crash fire rescue equipment 108.11 deals with firearms -- 1 stun gun on board and captain knew about it, but policy manual was probably violated. It seems to me that prisoner transport is a gray area that could use more guidance. There are many possible violations of FARS when attempting this type of operation. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: this aircraft was loaded with the prisoners 3 hours before departure as each passenger was given a complete body search. The prisoners had been part of a hnl prison riot and were being transported to a commercial prison in texas to reduce the prison population in hnl. The prisoners were hostile being verbally abusive and spitting. Flight attendants were moved away from the doors as they boarded to keep them away from any abuse. The prisoners were shackled by the ankles, and arms shackled to their waist. When seated the ankle shackles were removed. 1 female passenger became aggressive and 6 guards subdued her and firmly bound her. Duct tape was placed over her mouth. Because of the early boarding and guards not being readily available to assist any going to the bathroom, the prisoners urinated in their seats. Flight crew was concerned about the large number of prisoners, 236 male and 64 female, in comparison with the number of guards, 20. There could not be adequate help for the passenger that could not use an oxygen mask in the event of depressurization or even place a life preserver on in the event of an emergency ditching. When the flight was airborne, the hostile female prisoner was released from extra shackling and returned to just arm and waist shackling. The guards helped the prisoners drink bottled water and consume a sandwich. The prisoners were also assisted to the bathroom when necessary. Reporter stated that 2 of their flight attendants were in tears from having to work with the type of personality exhibited by the prisoners. He also stated that the air carrier operations manual had rules regarding prisoner passenger that were not adhered to. Even with a body search, a prisoner managed to smoke a cigarette during the flight. The butt of the cigarette was searched for but never found. Reporter has been in several meetings with his air carrier regarding this flight. He also stated that the FAA is investigating the situation and the air carrier feels they might be subject to a fine. At conclusion of the flight the aircraft showed heavy marks from all the shackling chains and most all of the cushion seats had to be replaced because of all the soiling. Supplemental information from acn 370163: flew 300 prisoners from hnl to sat where we offloaded approximately 50 female prisoners and then flew to iah to offload approximately 250 male prisoners. Because the prisoner's legs were shackled and their wrists were handcuffed with a chain to their waist and if the aircraft had gone down over water, it would have been very difficult, if not impossible, for the prisoners to don a life vest. If a decompression were to have occurred, it may have been difficult for the prisoners to reach the oxygen masks without undoing their seatbelt. Because of security risks, the security guards recommended that the flight attendants not stand by each of the doors during the onloading of the prisoners. Therefore, not all doors had a flight attendant standing by it while the prisoners were boarding.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR DC10-15 IS LOADED WITH 300 PAX WHO ARE PRISONERS TO BE TRANSPORTED FROM HNL TO SAT AND IAH. THE PRISONERS ARE KEPT SHACKLED WITH ARMS TIED TO WAIST. FLC IS CONCERNED WITH PRISONER SURVIVABILITY IN THE EVENT OF HIGH ALT DEPRESSURIZATION OR DITCHING IN THE OCEAN.

Narrative: THE FLT WAS FOR PRISONER TRANSPORT FROM HNL TO SAT AND IAH. 64 FEMALE PRISONERS AND 236 MALE PRISONERS. ALL WERE WRIST SHACKLED TO WAIST CHAINS. (MEDIUM SECURITY PRISONERS.) ON THIS OVERWATER FLT AT ALT, PRISONERS WOULD HAVE HAD SEVERE DIFFICULTY REACHING EMER PAX OXYGEN MASKS. PUTTING ON LIFE VESTS WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE. 1 UNRULY FEMALE PRISONER MAY HAVE BEEN HOG-TIED AND LAYING ON THE CABIN FLOOR FOR TKOF. ENOUGH GUARDS WERE NOT AVAILABLE TO PROTECT FLT ATTENDANTS AT THE DOORS DURING BOARDING. RESULT WAS SOME DOORS NOT MANNED DURING THE BOARDING PROCESS. ABC AIRLINE'S POLICY MANUAL PAGE XX STATES 'IT IS THE INTENT OF ABC AIRLINES TO ADHERE TO CFR 108.11 AND RESERVES THE RIGHT TO BE MORE RESTRICTIVE AND THEREFORE, WILL NOT CARRY PRISONERS OF ANY RISK CATEGORY.' CFR 108.11 DEALS WITH FIREARMS -- 1 STUN GUN ON BOARD AND CAPT KNEW ABOUT IT, BUT POLICY MANUAL WAS PROBABLY VIOLATED. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT PRISONER TRANSPORT IS A GRAY AREA THAT COULD USE MORE GUIDANCE. THERE ARE MANY POSSIBLE VIOLATIONS OF FARS WHEN ATTEMPTING THIS TYPE OF OP. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THIS ACFT WAS LOADED WITH THE PRISONERS 3 HRS BEFORE DEP AS EACH PAX WAS GIVEN A COMPLETE BODY SEARCH. THE PRISONERS HAD BEEN PART OF A HNL PRISON RIOT AND WERE BEING TRANSPORTED TO A COMMERCIAL PRISON IN TEXAS TO REDUCE THE PRISON POPULATION IN HNL. THE PRISONERS WERE HOSTILE BEING VERBALLY ABUSIVE AND SPITTING. FLT ATTENDANTS WERE MOVED AWAY FROM THE DOORS AS THEY BOARDED TO KEEP THEM AWAY FROM ANY ABUSE. THE PRISONERS WERE SHACKLED BY THE ANKLES, AND ARMS SHACKLED TO THEIR WAIST. WHEN SEATED THE ANKLE SHACKLES WERE REMOVED. 1 FEMALE PAX BECAME AGGRESSIVE AND 6 GUARDS SUBDUED HER AND FIRMLY BOUND HER. DUCT TAPE WAS PLACED OVER HER MOUTH. BECAUSE OF THE EARLY BOARDING AND GUARDS NOT BEING READILY AVAILABLE TO ASSIST ANY GOING TO THE BATHROOM, THE PRISONERS URINATED IN THEIR SEATS. FLC WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE LARGE NUMBER OF PRISONERS, 236 MALE AND 64 FEMALE, IN COMPARISON WITH THE NUMBER OF GUARDS, 20. THERE COULD NOT BE ADEQUATE HELP FOR THE PAX THAT COULD NOT USE AN OXYGEN MASK IN THE EVENT OF DEPRESSURIZATION OR EVEN PLACE A LIFE PRESERVER ON IN THE EVENT OF AN EMER DITCHING. WHEN THE FLT WAS AIRBORNE, THE HOSTILE FEMALE PRISONER WAS RELEASED FROM EXTRA SHACKLING AND RETURNED TO JUST ARM AND WAIST SHACKLING. THE GUARDS HELPED THE PRISONERS DRINK BOTTLED WATER AND CONSUME A SANDWICH. THE PRISONERS WERE ALSO ASSISTED TO THE BATHROOM WHEN NECESSARY. RPTR STATED THAT 2 OF THEIR FLT ATTENDANTS WERE IN TEARS FROM HAVING TO WORK WITH THE TYPE OF PERSONALITY EXHIBITED BY THE PRISONERS. HE ALSO STATED THAT THE ACR OPS MANUAL HAD RULES REGARDING PRISONER PAX THAT WERE NOT ADHERED TO. EVEN WITH A BODY SEARCH, A PRISONER MANAGED TO SMOKE A CIGARETTE DURING THE FLT. THE BUTT OF THE CIGARETTE WAS SEARCHED FOR BUT NEVER FOUND. RPTR HAS BEEN IN SEVERAL MEETINGS WITH HIS ACR REGARDING THIS FLT. HE ALSO STATED THAT THE FAA IS INVESTIGATING THE SIT AND THE ACR FEELS THEY MIGHT BE SUBJECT TO A FINE. AT CONCLUSION OF THE FLT THE ACFT SHOWED HVY MARKS FROM ALL THE SHACKLING CHAINS AND MOST ALL OF THE CUSHION SEATS HAD TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE OF ALL THE SOILING. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 370163: FLEW 300 PRISONERS FROM HNL TO SAT WHERE WE OFFLOADED APPROX 50 FEMALE PRISONERS AND THEN FLEW TO IAH TO OFFLOAD APPROX 250 MALE PRISONERS. BECAUSE THE PRISONER'S LEGS WERE SHACKLED AND THEIR WRISTS WERE HANDCUFFED WITH A CHAIN TO THEIR WAIST AND IF THE ACFT HAD GONE DOWN OVER WATER, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY DIFFICULT, IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE, FOR THE PRISONERS TO DON A LIFE VEST. IF A DECOMPRESSION WERE TO HAVE OCCURRED, IT MAY HAVE BEEN DIFFICULT FOR THE PRISONERS TO REACH THE OXYGEN MASKS WITHOUT UNDOING THEIR SEATBELT. BECAUSE OF SECURITY RISKS, THE SECURITY GUARDS RECOMMENDED THAT THE FLT ATTENDANTS NOT STAND BY EACH OF THE DOORS DURING THE ONLOADING OF THE PRISONERS. THEREFORE, NOT ALL DOORS HAD A FLT ATTENDANT STANDING BY IT WHILE THE PRISONERS WERE BOARDING.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.