Narrative:

I was walking through the main cabin when a passenger stopped me to tell me of a passenger who was on the floor on his knees, apparently passed out. The passenger told me this man was drinking and probably just passed out. With this, he tried to wake the man on the floor. Before I could do or say anything, the man took some liquid from the glass he was holding and sprinkled it in the passed out man's face. With that, the man rose up screaming, flailing, yelling, etc -- totally out of control. Another passenger, myself, and the first passenger tried to subdue him. Eventually, 2 other male flight attendants joined in, making a total of 5 men trying to hold this guy down, mostly unsuccessfully. And this guy was about 5 ft 5 inches and probably 130 pounds. For the next 45 mins or so, the man was screaming mostly in spanish, flailing around, etc. Hand restraints were put on him, but he got loose. Finally it took 2 passenger (very big guys), the other 2 male flight attendants (also very big guys) to tie him up in seatbelt extensions. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that the man who first noticed the 'disturbed' passenger had passed out, brought the reporter back to the row of seats where he was seated. The man had passed out in a kneeling position, on the floor in front of his seat. When the other man splashed water in his face, he woke up in a violent rage, screaming obscenities in spanish. The reporter thought the man had been drinking from his own bottle. It took the reporter, 2 other male flight attendants, and 2 other male passenger (including the original passenger) to subdue the man. 2 of them wrestled him to the floor and handcuffed the guy with the pilot's handcuffs. The man was incredibly strong and broke the handcuffs. It took at least 1/2 hour to subdue him and tie him to the seat with the seatbelt extensions. They covered him with a blanket and proceeded on to santo domingo. The captain was going to divert, but the man calmed down. Incredibly, the man deplaned with the ground agents and thanked the flight attendants for the 'nice' flight, and even complimented a flight attendant on her perfume. The police arrested him on the jetbridge. The reporter doesn't know if his airline pursued the issue any further with the FAA or fbi.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT ATTENDANT RPT, B767, JFK-PUERTO PLATA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. INTOXICATED, VIOLENT PAX, SUBDUED AND TIED TO SEAT.

Narrative: I WAS WALKING THROUGH THE MAIN CABIN WHEN A PAX STOPPED ME TO TELL ME OF A PAX WHO WAS ON THE FLOOR ON HIS KNEES, APPARENTLY PASSED OUT. THE PAX TOLD ME THIS MAN WAS DRINKING AND PROBABLY JUST PASSED OUT. WITH THIS, HE TRIED TO WAKE THE MAN ON THE FLOOR. BEFORE I COULD DO OR SAY ANYTHING, THE MAN TOOK SOME LIQUID FROM THE GLASS HE WAS HOLDING AND SPRINKLED IT IN THE PASSED OUT MAN'S FACE. WITH THAT, THE MAN ROSE UP SCREAMING, FLAILING, YELLING, ETC -- TOTALLY OUT OF CTL. ANOTHER PAX, MYSELF, AND THE FIRST PAX TRIED TO SUBDUE HIM. EVENTUALLY, 2 OTHER MALE FLT ATTENDANTS JOINED IN, MAKING A TOTAL OF 5 MEN TRYING TO HOLD THIS GUY DOWN, MOSTLY UNSUCCESSFULLY. AND THIS GUY WAS ABOUT 5 FT 5 INCHES AND PROBABLY 130 LBS. FOR THE NEXT 45 MINS OR SO, THE MAN WAS SCREAMING MOSTLY IN SPANISH, FLAILING AROUND, ETC. HAND RESTRAINTS WERE PUT ON HIM, BUT HE GOT LOOSE. FINALLY IT TOOK 2 PAX (VERY BIG GUYS), THE OTHER 2 MALE FLT ATTENDANTS (ALSO VERY BIG GUYS) TO TIE HIM UP IN SEATBELT EXTENSIONS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT THE MAN WHO FIRST NOTICED THE 'DISTURBED' PAX HAD PASSED OUT, BROUGHT THE RPTR BACK TO THE ROW OF SEATS WHERE HE WAS SEATED. THE MAN HAD PASSED OUT IN A KNEELING POS, ON THE FLOOR IN FRONT OF HIS SEAT. WHEN THE OTHER MAN SPLASHED WATER IN HIS FACE, HE WOKE UP IN A VIOLENT RAGE, SCREAMING OBSCENITIES IN SPANISH. THE RPTR THOUGHT THE MAN HAD BEEN DRINKING FROM HIS OWN BOTTLE. IT TOOK THE RPTR, 2 OTHER MALE FLT ATTENDANTS, AND 2 OTHER MALE PAX (INCLUDING THE ORIGINAL PAX) TO SUBDUE THE MAN. 2 OF THEM WRESTLED HIM TO THE FLOOR AND HANDCUFFED THE GUY WITH THE PLT'S HANDCUFFS. THE MAN WAS INCREDIBLY STRONG AND BROKE THE HANDCUFFS. IT TOOK AT LEAST 1/2 HR TO SUBDUE HIM AND TIE HIM TO THE SEAT WITH THE SEATBELT EXTENSIONS. THEY COVERED HIM WITH A BLANKET AND PROCEEDED ON TO SANTO DOMINGO. THE CAPT WAS GOING TO DIVERT, BUT THE MAN CALMED DOWN. INCREDIBLY, THE MAN DEPLANED WITH THE GND AGENTS AND THANKED THE FLT ATTENDANTS FOR THE 'NICE' FLT, AND EVEN COMPLIMENTED A FLT ATTENDANT ON HER PERFUME. THE POLICE ARRESTED HIM ON THE JETBRIDGE. THE RPTR DOESN'T KNOW IF HIS AIRLINE PURSUED THE ISSUE ANY FURTHER WITH THE FAA OR FBI.

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.