Narrative:

After the meal service the 'arrested' passenger came into my galley and started to cry. He was very upset that he had to leave his children. He hated the united states. Said the %^&* word many times. I didn't want to upset him even more. I told him it was ok to cry and he would feel better. He then said all he wanted to do was go back to africa where he belongs...because of his skin color (black). He was going from subject to subject. Among us flight attendants, we had only given him 1 champagne and 1 drink. He appeared to be a little calmer once he went back to his seat. I knew there could be problems later on, because he seemed to be mentally disturbed. Everything was &*^% this and that. I told the purser. She saw him in my galley. I did go on my break. During my absence, the flight attendants found out he had been drinking from his own bottle and he pulled down on the window exit. Needless to say, things escalated. I went to the back and stayed with flight attendant. The shouting and the language coming out of the passenger was very disturbing. The seat belt sign was on, but the african guy was still standing. *&^% In every other word. Flight attendant handled him by being very calm. Flight attendant and I changed jump seats for landing. The passenger scared me cause he was so strong and a karate expert supposedly not to mention the language, I could %^&* take this airline down, was repeated many times. While standing at 4L and listening to the conversation, I was ready to call for help with phone. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that the man seemed to either be on drugs or manic-depressive, or both. He would cry and be docile one moment, and in a rage the next. She said he was upset when he boarded, because he was part of a group that had left paris the previous day, but he was detained at the airport with a visa problem. One of the pilots did come back to assist, but took one look at the guy, and threw their handcuffs to the flight attendants and went back to the cockpit. The captain decided to land in bermuda without telling any of the passenger, so no safety announcement was made. This was to ensure that the man would be surprised by the police, who snuck up the back stairs. At that point, the man knew the jig was up and put his hands behind his back, ready to be handcuffed. Once they got to miami, the captain had a debriefing, and told the crew that he was told that the bermuda auths shipped the guy to ny to be prosecuted. Supplemental information from acn 441293: passenger was drinking from his own bottle of liquor. Also grabbed water and wine off liquor cart. Would not stay in seat. Tried to open window exit, verbally threatened crew. Stated he could take the airplane down. We landed in bermuda and the police came up the aft door, approached him, read him his rights, and then handcuffed and escorted him off the aircraft. His feelings of discrimination from the french and american government's (obtaining visa), airline, plus a large amount of alcohol all played a part. The crew did not attempt to restrain him as he stated he was a martial ARTS expert, 'black belt,' and perhaps that would have set him off and many passenger and crew would have been hurt. We were 1 1/2 hours out of bermuda, with no place to land had this passenger exploded. We need stricter standards for passenger behavior (acceptable) with all airlines for the safety of everyone. Now poor behavior (disruptions, aggressiveness, verbal and physical abuse) is often looked upon as not good, but acceptable. Many unruly passenger just act anyway they want, and then walk off the plane. It's like the airlines give the message 'here are the rules, you can chose to follow as many as you feel like, as long as we get your business, you are just fine.' perhaps losing travel privileges on all airlines would be great.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MULTIPLE FLT ATTENDANT RPT, B767-300, PARIS-MIAMI, DIVERT TO BERMUDA FOR ARREST OF LOUD, UNRULY AND HOSTILE PAX, THREATENED CREW AND PLANE.

Narrative: AFTER THE MEAL SVC THE 'ARRESTED' PAX CAME INTO MY GALLEY AND STARTED TO CRY. HE WAS VERY UPSET THAT HE HAD TO LEAVE HIS CHILDREN. HE HATED THE UNITED STATES. SAID THE %^&* WORD MANY TIMES. I DIDN'T WANT TO UPSET HIM EVEN MORE. I TOLD HIM IT WAS OK TO CRY AND HE WOULD FEEL BETTER. HE THEN SAID ALL HE WANTED TO DO WAS GO BACK TO AFRICA WHERE HE BELONGS...BECAUSE OF HIS SKIN COLOR (BLACK). HE WAS GOING FROM SUBJECT TO SUBJECT. AMONG US FLT ATTENDANTS, WE HAD ONLY GIVEN HIM 1 CHAMPAGNE AND 1 DRINK. HE APPEARED TO BE A LITTLE CALMER ONCE HE WENT BACK TO HIS SEAT. I KNEW THERE COULD BE PROBS LATER ON, BECAUSE HE SEEMED TO BE MENTALLY DISTURBED. EVERYTHING WAS &*^% THIS AND THAT. I TOLD THE PURSER. SHE SAW HIM IN MY GALLEY. I DID GO ON MY BREAK. DURING MY ABSENCE, THE FLT ATTENDANTS FOUND OUT HE HAD BEEN DRINKING FROM HIS OWN BOTTLE AND HE PULLED DOWN ON THE WINDOW EXIT. NEEDLESS TO SAY, THINGS ESCALATED. I WENT TO THE BACK AND STAYED WITH FLT ATTENDANT. THE SHOUTING AND THE LANGUAGE COMING OUT OF THE PAX WAS VERY DISTURBING. THE SEAT BELT SIGN WAS ON, BUT THE AFRICAN GUY WAS STILL STANDING. *&^% IN EVERY OTHER WORD. FLT ATTENDANT HANDLED HIM BY BEING VERY CALM. FLT ATTENDANT AND I CHANGED JUMP SEATS FOR LNDG. THE PAX SCARED ME CAUSE HE WAS SO STRONG AND A KARATE EXPERT SUPPOSEDLY NOT TO MENTION THE LANGUAGE, I COULD %^&* TAKE THIS AIRLINE DOWN, WAS REPEATED MANY TIMES. WHILE STANDING AT 4L AND LISTENING TO THE CONVERSATION, I WAS READY TO CALL FOR HELP WITH PHONE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT THE MAN SEEMED TO EITHER BE ON DRUGS OR MANIC-DEPRESSIVE, OR BOTH. HE WOULD CRY AND BE DOCILE ONE MOMENT, AND IN A RAGE THE NEXT. SHE SAID HE WAS UPSET WHEN HE BOARDED, BECAUSE HE WAS PART OF A GROUP THAT HAD LEFT PARIS THE PREVIOUS DAY, BUT HE WAS DETAINED AT THE ARPT WITH A VISA PROB. ONE OF THE PLTS DID COME BACK TO ASSIST, BUT TOOK ONE LOOK AT THE GUY, AND THREW THEIR HANDCUFFS TO THE FLT ATTENDANTS AND WENT BACK TO THE COCKPIT. THE CAPT DECIDED TO LAND IN BERMUDA WITHOUT TELLING ANY OF THE PAX, SO NO SAFETY ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE. THIS WAS TO ENSURE THAT THE MAN WOULD BE SURPRISED BY THE POLICE, WHO SNUCK UP THE BACK STAIRS. AT THAT POINT, THE MAN KNEW THE JIG WAS UP AND PUT HIS HANDS BEHIND HIS BACK, READY TO BE HANDCUFFED. ONCE THEY GOT TO MIAMI, THE CAPT HAD A DEBRIEFING, AND TOLD THE CREW THAT HE WAS TOLD THAT THE BERMUDA AUTHS SHIPPED THE GUY TO NY TO BE PROSECUTED. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 441293: PAX WAS DRINKING FROM HIS OWN BOTTLE OF LIQUOR. ALSO GRABBED WATER AND WINE OFF LIQUOR CART. WOULD NOT STAY IN SEAT. TRIED TO OPEN WINDOW EXIT, VERBALLY THREATENED CREW. STATED HE COULD TAKE THE AIRPLANE DOWN. WE LANDED IN BERMUDA AND THE POLICE CAME UP THE AFT DOOR, APCHED HIM, READ HIM HIS RIGHTS, AND THEN HANDCUFFED AND ESCORTED HIM OFF THE ACFT. HIS FEELINGS OF DISCRIMINATION FROM THE FRENCH AND AMERICAN GOV'S (OBTAINING VISA), AIRLINE, PLUS A LARGE AMOUNT OF ALCOHOL ALL PLAYED A PART. THE CREW DID NOT ATTEMPT TO RESTRAIN HIM AS HE STATED HE WAS A MARTIAL ARTS EXPERT, 'BLACK BELT,' AND PERHAPS THAT WOULD HAVE SET HIM OFF AND MANY PAX AND CREW WOULD HAVE BEEN HURT. WE WERE 1 1/2 HRS OUT OF BERMUDA, WITH NO PLACE TO LAND HAD THIS PAX EXPLODED. WE NEED STRICTER STANDARDS FOR PAX BEHAVIOR (ACCEPTABLE) WITH ALL AIRLINES FOR THE SAFETY OF EVERYONE. NOW POOR BEHAVIOR (DISRUPTIONS, AGGRESSIVENESS, VERBAL AND PHYSICAL ABUSE) IS OFTEN LOOKED UPON AS NOT GOOD, BUT ACCEPTABLE. MANY UNRULY PAX JUST ACT ANYWAY THEY WANT, AND THEN WALK OFF THE PLANE. IT'S LIKE THE AIRLINES GIVE THE MESSAGE 'HERE ARE THE RULES, YOU CAN CHOSE TO FOLLOW AS MANY AS YOU FEEL LIKE, AS LONG AS WE GET YOUR BUSINESS, YOU ARE JUST FINE.' PERHAPS LOSING TRAVEL PRIVILEGES ON ALL AIRLINES WOULD BE GREAT.

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.