Narrative:

About 3 or 4 hours into the flight from mia to lax, a passenger seated in the forward section of main cabin revealed himself to be extremely rude and obnoxious. This became obvious during the meal service when he was very disrespectful to the crew and demanded to be served alcohol. He later on came to the aft galley and engaged in a conversation with 2 members of the crew during which he announced that he was a pilot for the military, then went back to his seat. Moments later, as I was walking through the cabin, he directed to my attention that he believed that 'little furry animals were perched on the wings.' he was serious, therefore, I assured him that everything was ok and notified the #1 flight attendant and the captain of this lunatic behavior. As I was doing this, he demanded to be served more alcohol by the #2 flight attendant (a male), who refused. He then started to become agitated, pacing back and forth in the forward section of main cabin. He eventually returned to his seat and demanded to talk to the #1 flight attendant. (I was present during the conversation in case he decided to hit her, or in case of any unexpected reaction on his part, just to be there as an assistant since we also had noticed that the passenger was generally a little more mellow with female flight attendants.) his inconsistent behavior in manners and speech continued during the conversation. He pretended to be a lawyer this time and threatened to sue the company since we did not attend to all his demands. In view of this crazy behavior and of all the facts we already knew, the #1 flight attendant decided not to give him the incident report form. This would only have infuriated him more and we wanted to maintain him as calm as possible until landing when he was going to be met by airport auths. (The cockpit had radioed in for police to meet the aircraft.) the passenger stayed relatively calm until landing, 'only' drawing faces of bearded men on many sheets of paper which he then crossed out to start all over again. He continued this incoherent drawing until landing. Conclusion: we had to use our best judgement, and decided in the case of this obviously mentally disturbed man not to contradict him, not to be confrontational (ie, by having female flight attendants talking to him, by not presenting to him the passenger incident report which would have probably infuriated and agitated him more). This was a full aircraft and we tried to keep everything as calm as possible. Also, we remembered what our training taught us as far as dealing with terrorists and we didn't know what this man could do and how he would react. Such passenger, however, should be idented and not allowed to get on planes as it directly affects the safety of passenger and crew. (At one point, the cockpit considered landing the plane.) other passenger in the airplane brought to our attention that the very passenger in question already had displayed erratic behavior in the terminal. Therefore, I would suggest a lot more surveillance in the terminal prior to boarding. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated the outcome of incident is unknown as passenger was left in the hands of local police upon deplaning. The incident reporting form mentioned in the narrative is a company form that the pilot suggested be presented to the disturbed passenger in-flight and that the cabin crew decided against due to further antagonizing an already disturbed passenger.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AT CRUISE ON BOARD B757, PAX BEGAN DISPLAYING ERRATIC BEHAVIOR THREATENING CREW AND THE SAFETY OF THE FLT. AUTHS MET ACFT AT DEST.

Narrative: ABOUT 3 OR 4 HRS INTO THE FLT FROM MIA TO LAX, A PAX SEATED IN THE FORWARD SECTION OF MAIN CABIN REVEALED HIMSELF TO BE EXTREMELY RUDE AND OBNOXIOUS. THIS BECAME OBVIOUS DURING THE MEAL SVC WHEN HE WAS VERY DISRESPECTFUL TO THE CREW AND DEMANDED TO BE SERVED ALCOHOL. HE LATER ON CAME TO THE AFT GALLEY AND ENGAGED IN A CONVERSATION WITH 2 MEMBERS OF THE CREW DURING WHICH HE ANNOUNCED THAT HE WAS A PLT FOR THE MIL, THEN WENT BACK TO HIS SEAT. MOMENTS LATER, AS I WAS WALKING THROUGH THE CABIN, HE DIRECTED TO MY ATTN THAT HE BELIEVED THAT 'LITTLE FURRY ANIMALS WERE PERCHED ON THE WINGS.' HE WAS SERIOUS, THEREFORE, I ASSURED HIM THAT EVERYTHING WAS OK AND NOTIFIED THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT AND THE CAPT OF THIS LUNATIC BEHAVIOR. AS I WAS DOING THIS, HE DEMANDED TO BE SERVED MORE ALCOHOL BY THE #2 FLT ATTENDANT (A MALE), WHO REFUSED. HE THEN STARTED TO BECOME AGITATED, PACING BACK AND FORTH IN THE FORWARD SECTION OF MAIN CABIN. HE EVENTUALLY RETURNED TO HIS SEAT AND DEMANDED TO TALK TO THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT. (I WAS PRESENT DURING THE CONVERSATION IN CASE HE DECIDED TO HIT HER, OR IN CASE OF ANY UNEXPECTED REACTION ON HIS PART, JUST TO BE THERE AS AN ASSISTANT SINCE WE ALSO HAD NOTICED THAT THE PAX WAS GENERALLY A LITTLE MORE MELLOW WITH FEMALE FLT ATTENDANTS.) HIS INCONSISTENT BEHAVIOR IN MANNERS AND SPEECH CONTINUED DURING THE CONVERSATION. HE PRETENDED TO BE A LAWYER THIS TIME AND THREATENED TO SUE THE COMPANY SINCE WE DID NOT ATTEND TO ALL HIS DEMANDS. IN VIEW OF THIS CRAZY BEHAVIOR AND OF ALL THE FACTS WE ALREADY KNEW, THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT DECIDED NOT TO GIVE HIM THE INCIDENT RPT FORM. THIS WOULD ONLY HAVE INFURIATED HIM MORE AND WE WANTED TO MAINTAIN HIM AS CALM AS POSSIBLE UNTIL LNDG WHEN HE WAS GOING TO BE MET BY ARPT AUTHS. (THE COCKPIT HAD RADIOED IN FOR POLICE TO MEET THE ACFT.) THE PAX STAYED RELATIVELY CALM UNTIL LNDG, 'ONLY' DRAWING FACES OF BEARDED MEN ON MANY SHEETS OF PAPER WHICH HE THEN CROSSED OUT TO START ALL OVER AGAIN. HE CONTINUED THIS INCOHERENT DRAWING UNTIL LNDG. CONCLUSION: WE HAD TO USE OUR BEST JUDGEMENT, AND DECIDED IN THE CASE OF THIS OBVIOUSLY MENTALLY DISTURBED MAN NOT TO CONTRADICT HIM, NOT TO BE CONFRONTATIONAL (IE, BY HAVING FEMALE FLT ATTENDANTS TALKING TO HIM, BY NOT PRESENTING TO HIM THE PAX INCIDENT RPT WHICH WOULD HAVE PROBABLY INFURIATED AND AGITATED HIM MORE). THIS WAS A FULL ACFT AND WE TRIED TO KEEP EVERYTHING AS CALM AS POSSIBLE. ALSO, WE REMEMBERED WHAT OUR TRAINING TAUGHT US AS FAR AS DEALING WITH TERRORISTS AND WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THIS MAN COULD DO AND HOW HE WOULD REACT. SUCH PAX, HOWEVER, SHOULD BE IDENTED AND NOT ALLOWED TO GET ON PLANES AS IT DIRECTLY AFFECTS THE SAFETY OF PAX AND CREW. (AT ONE POINT, THE COCKPIT CONSIDERED LNDG THE PLANE.) OTHER PAX IN THE AIRPLANE BROUGHT TO OUR ATTN THAT THE VERY PAX IN QUESTION ALREADY HAD DISPLAYED ERRATIC BEHAVIOR IN THE TERMINAL. THEREFORE, I WOULD SUGGEST A LOT MORE SURVEILLANCE IN THE TERMINAL PRIOR TO BOARDING. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THE OUTCOME OF INCIDENT IS UNKNOWN AS PAX WAS LEFT IN THE HANDS OF LCL POLICE UPON DEPLANING. THE INCIDENT RPTING FORM MENTIONED IN THE NARRATIVE IS A COMPANY FORM THAT THE PLT SUGGESTED BE PRESENTED TO THE DISTURBED PAX INFLT AND THAT THE CABIN CREW DECIDED AGAINST DUE TO FURTHER ANTAGONIZING AN ALREADY DISTURBED PAX.

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.