Narrative:

Senior flight attendant reported an adult male passenger had assaulted another adult male passenger. A third passenger intervened and stopped the assault. A fourth passenger (off duty police officer) assessed the assailant as unstable and a threat to safety. A diversion to okc was accomplished and an overweight landing made. The assailant bit a police officer during extrication. Police officers in okc airport had to be prodded to assist and were generally unconcerned. There was subsequent speculation that assailant was intoxicated when he boarded. (A violation of FARS for captain, but how are we supposed to know of his condition.) ground operations employees must take initiative and deny boarding to such individuals even if it creates a conflict. At least it isn't an airborne conflict. FAA needs to take responsibility for ending such airborne safety threats that are out of the crew's control. A) ban alcohol sales on aircraft? 2) ban alcohol sales in airport? 3) reinstitute federal air marshal program for domestic aircraft (focus on las flts). 4) vigorously prosecute offenders. Stiff penalties. 5) additional legislation allowing for increased jurisdiction and increased list of illegal actions. No one seems to care that these threats are getting worse and worse! Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated that the passenger appeared to be under the influence of some mind altering drug, as he was dozing and suddenly woke up, stood up, and straddled the legs of the guy sitting next to him, and started pummeling him for no apparent reason. He was yelling, 'I don't know you! I don't know you!' a huge man sitting across the aisle, grabbed the assailant with a head lock, and ordered him to situation down and be quiet. An off-duty policeman then came forward and evaluated the guy as certifiable and a danger to the safety of the flight, and told the crew to land immediately and get the guy off to a medical facility. The off-duty policeman had the crew reseat the assailant between 2 large men (where he went to sleep again), and then the policeman sat behind them. When asked if he or the copilot used their plastic handcuffs to restrain him, the captain replied that his airline does not allow their pilots to carry them. When they landed, the police and the paramedics met the flight. When the assailant was being arrested, he bit a policeman, and the captain had the paramedics examine the cop first, before the passenger. The reporter was told that the man would be sent to a detox unit first, then in the morning, if he was lucid, he would be released. This really upset the reporter. The reporter heard that the fbi is still investigating the possibility of prosecuting him.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT RPT, LAS-CLE, PAX PHYSICAL ASSAULT ON ANOTHER PAX. DIVERT TO OKC TO REMOVE PAX. ALCOHOL ABUSE.

Narrative: SENIOR FLT ATTENDANT RPTED AN ADULT MALE PAX HAD ASSAULTED ANOTHER ADULT MALE PAX. A THIRD PAX INTERVENED AND STOPPED THE ASSAULT. A FOURTH PAX (OFF DUTY POLICE OFFICER) ASSESSED THE ASSAILANT AS UNSTABLE AND A THREAT TO SAFETY. A DIVERSION TO OKC WAS ACCOMPLISHED AND AN OVERWT LNDG MADE. THE ASSAILANT BIT A POLICE OFFICER DURING EXTRICATION. POLICE OFFICERS IN OKC ARPT HAD TO BE PRODDED TO ASSIST AND WERE GENERALLY UNCONCERNED. THERE WAS SUBSEQUENT SPECULATION THAT ASSAILANT WAS INTOXICATED WHEN HE BOARDED. (A VIOLATION OF FARS FOR CAPT, BUT HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO KNOW OF HIS CONDITION.) GND OPS EMPLOYEES MUST TAKE INITIATIVE AND DENY BOARDING TO SUCH INDIVIDUALS EVEN IF IT CREATES A CONFLICT. AT LEAST IT ISN'T AN AIRBORNE CONFLICT. FAA NEEDS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR ENDING SUCH AIRBORNE SAFETY THREATS THAT ARE OUT OF THE CREW'S CTL. A) BAN ALCOHOL SALES ON ACFT? 2) BAN ALCOHOL SALES IN ARPT? 3) REINSTITUTE FEDERAL AIR MARSHAL PROGRAM FOR DOMESTIC ACFT (FOCUS ON LAS FLTS). 4) VIGOROUSLY PROSECUTE OFFENDERS. STIFF PENALTIES. 5) ADDITIONAL LEGISLATION ALLOWING FOR INCREASED JURISDICTION AND INCREASED LIST OF ILLEGAL ACTIONS. NO ONE SEEMS TO CARE THAT THESE THREATS ARE GETTING WORSE AND WORSE! CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT THE PAX APPEARED TO BE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF SOME MIND ALTERING DRUG, AS HE WAS DOZING AND SUDDENLY WOKE UP, STOOD UP, AND STRADDLED THE LEGS OF THE GUY SITTING NEXT TO HIM, AND STARTED PUMMELING HIM FOR NO APPARENT REASON. HE WAS YELLING, 'I DON'T KNOW YOU! I DON'T KNOW YOU!' A HUGE MAN SITTING ACROSS THE AISLE, GRABBED THE ASSAILANT WITH A HEAD LOCK, AND ORDERED HIM TO SIT DOWN AND BE QUIET. AN OFF-DUTY POLICEMAN THEN CAME FORWARD AND EVALUATED THE GUY AS CERTIFIABLE AND A DANGER TO THE SAFETY OF THE FLT, AND TOLD THE CREW TO LAND IMMEDIATELY AND GET THE GUY OFF TO A MEDICAL FACILITY. THE OFF-DUTY POLICEMAN HAD THE CREW RESEAT THE ASSAILANT BTWN 2 LARGE MEN (WHERE HE WENT TO SLEEP AGAIN), AND THEN THE POLICEMAN SAT BEHIND THEM. WHEN ASKED IF HE OR THE COPLT USED THEIR PLASTIC HANDCUFFS TO RESTRAIN HIM, THE CAPT REPLIED THAT HIS AIRLINE DOES NOT ALLOW THEIR PLTS TO CARRY THEM. WHEN THEY LANDED, THE POLICE AND THE PARAMEDICS MET THE FLT. WHEN THE ASSAILANT WAS BEING ARRESTED, HE BIT A POLICEMAN, AND THE CAPT HAD THE PARAMEDICS EXAMINE THE COP FIRST, BEFORE THE PAX. THE RPTR WAS TOLD THAT THE MAN WOULD BE SENT TO A DETOX UNIT FIRST, THEN IN THE MORNING, IF HE WAS LUCID, HE WOULD BE RELEASED. THIS REALLY UPSET THE RPTR. THE RPTR HEARD THAT THE FBI IS STILL INVESTIGATING THE POSSIBILITY OF PROSECUTING HIM.

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.