Narrative:

Witnesses to the event were the standard crew of 5 (pilots and flight attendants), two off-duty flight attendants, and a military officer in uniform. Flight xx departed sfo on schedule (and as far as the pilots knew) with a normal boarding process. At FL370, and approximately due south of slc, one of the flight attendants' came up to the flight deck and reported a passenger (I'll call him passenger X) that was noisy and annoying other passenger by switching seats randomly and making verbally abusive comments. She described him as a young man in his 20's, who was making abrupt movements with his head and arms and talking to himself. A 2ND flight attendant came to the flight deck and gave us additional information, while the other flight attendant was continuing her briefing. Apparently, the disturbed passenger had been moved to the last row (aircraft right) of the airplane, in an attempt to isolate him from other customers. 1 flight attendant remained in the rear of the aircraft (with 2 additional off-duty flight attendants in plain clothes) and a military officer in uniform. The persons just mentioned were seated around passenger X as inconspicuously as possible, in effort to keep him under supervision, but not to alarm him. We were told by the flight attendants that passenger X was hallucinogenic and that he was upset, because one of the other passenger had shown him a knife and had threatened his life. He seemed very paranoid and was seeing and hearing various things. He was reported to also see a dead bleeding passenger in the aisle and also that he swore the aircraft was on fire. Passenger X was ducking and dodging imaginary punches from an unknown source (as if he were fighting someone). With that information the captain said to keep passenger X isolated and to give him space (which the flight attendants had already done) and also to keep us (the pilots) informed. A message was sent to dispatch informing them of a possible problem passenger. Apparently, his behavior worsened as we continued. He began randomly shouting to imaginary people and was extremely worried that someone was going to kill him. As the flight passed over den, the captain and I had reviewed company policy about disruptive passenger. We thought it best to both remain up in the flight deck, so that if passenger became violent, we remained to get the aircraft on the ground. We also discussed options and scenarios including diverting. We asked the flight attendants over den if things were becoming worse and introduced them to the option of a divert to another airport to leave him with police. We decided to try and continue the trip since passenger X hadn't become violent or made any verbal threats to the crew. The captain continued to advise the dispatcher via ACARS to keep company advised of the situation. He steadily became more insistent on leaving the aircraft and tried to leave his seat to go to the rear L2 and R2 doors to force his way out of the plane. He was restrained by the military officer. Passenger X was deathly afraid of whoever was 'threatening' him. He yelled out, 'can't you see them? They're staring and grinning at me. They was to kill me.' he was still seeing the aircraft on fire, passenger wanting to kill him and taunting him. Passenger X saw guns and knives and just wanted off. It seemed to us that the situation was deteriorating so we made the decision to divert to mci. The captain communicated with dispatch in the descent to get the necessary communication under way to mci airport, mci police, and company personnel to prepare a gate for us. ATC was extremely accommodating. No violent act was committed so no emergency declaration was made. The captain was informative but vague in his arrival briefing to the passenger (so as to not alarm passenger X). He also requested that all passenger remain in their seats once at the gate. This was to allow police access to the rear of the aircraft as soon as possible. I flew a normal visual approach to runway 19L. Once on the ground, passenger X tried to get up out of his seat and again had to be restrained by the military officer. We parked at gate X on the X concourse after following a 'follow me' truck. Mci police, paramedics and mci airport authority/authorized were standing by in the jetway. Passenger X was removed by mci airport police in cuffs. Communication between theentire crew and dispatch were excellent. The mci station manager told me in the jetway that passenger X was a profiled passenger, and we found his boarding card in his seat back pouch. All he brought onboard was a half-empty 20 oz bottle of pepsi (which was later given to police for drug testing).

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT RPT, A319, SFO-CLT. PARANOID, HALLUCINOGENIC PAX TRIED TO OPEN DOORS INFLT, RESTRAINED BY MIL OFFICER. DIVERT TO MCI FOR REMOVAL OF PAX.

Narrative: WITNESSES TO THE EVENT WERE THE STANDARD CREW OF 5 (PLTS AND FLT ATTENDANTS), TWO OFF-DUTY FLT ATTENDANTS, AND A MIL OFFICER IN UNIFORM. FLT XX DEPARTED SFO ON SCHEDULE (AND AS FAR AS THE PLTS KNEW) WITH A NORMAL BOARDING PROCESS. AT FL370, AND APPROX DUE S OF SLC, ONE OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS' CAME UP TO THE FLT DECK AND RPTED A PAX (I'LL CALL HIM PAX X) THAT WAS NOISY AND ANNOYING OTHER PAX BY SWITCHING SEATS RANDOMLY AND MAKING VERBALLY ABUSIVE COMMENTS. SHE DESCRIBED HIM AS A YOUNG MAN IN HIS 20'S, WHO WAS MAKING ABRUPT MOVEMENTS WITH HIS HEAD AND ARMS AND TALKING TO HIMSELF. A 2ND FLT ATTENDANT CAME TO THE FLT DECK AND GAVE US ADDITIONAL INFO, WHILE THE OTHER FLT ATTENDANT WAS CONTINUING HER BRIEFING. APPARENTLY, THE DISTURBED PAX HAD BEEN MOVED TO THE LAST ROW (ACFT R) OF THE AIRPLANE, IN AN ATTEMPT TO ISOLATE HIM FROM OTHER CUSTOMERS. 1 FLT ATTENDANT REMAINED IN THE REAR OF THE ACFT (WITH 2 ADDITIONAL OFF-DUTY FLT ATTENDANTS IN PLAIN CLOTHES) AND A MIL OFFICER IN UNIFORM. THE PERSONS JUST MENTIONED WERE SEATED AROUND PAX X AS INCONSPICUOUSLY AS POSSIBLE, IN EFFORT TO KEEP HIM UNDER SUPERVISION, BUT NOT TO ALARM HIM. WE WERE TOLD BY THE FLT ATTENDANTS THAT PAX X WAS HALLUCINOGENIC AND THAT HE WAS UPSET, BECAUSE ONE OF THE OTHER PAX HAD SHOWN HIM A KNIFE AND HAD THREATENED HIS LIFE. HE SEEMED VERY PARANOID AND WAS SEEING AND HEARING VARIOUS THINGS. HE WAS RPTED TO ALSO SEE A DEAD BLEEDING PAX IN THE AISLE AND ALSO THAT HE SWORE THE ACFT WAS ON FIRE. PAX X WAS DUCKING AND DODGING IMAGINARY PUNCHES FROM AN UNKNOWN SOURCE (AS IF HE WERE FIGHTING SOMEONE). WITH THAT INFO THE CAPT SAID TO KEEP PAX X ISOLATED AND TO GIVE HIM SPACE (WHICH THE FLT ATTENDANTS HAD ALREADY DONE) AND ALSO TO KEEP US (THE PLTS) INFORMED. A MESSAGE WAS SENT TO DISPATCH INFORMING THEM OF A POSSIBLE PROB PAX. APPARENTLY, HIS BEHAVIOR WORSENED AS WE CONTINUED. HE BEGAN RANDOMLY SHOUTING TO IMAGINARY PEOPLE AND WAS EXTREMELY WORRIED THAT SOMEONE WAS GOING TO KILL HIM. AS THE FLT PASSED OVER DEN, THE CAPT AND I HAD REVIEWED COMPANY POLICY ABOUT DISRUPTIVE PAX. WE THOUGHT IT BEST TO BOTH REMAIN UP IN THE FLT DECK, SO THAT IF PAX BECAME VIOLENT, WE REMAINED TO GET THE ACFT ON THE GND. WE ALSO DISCUSSED OPTIONS AND SCENARIOS INCLUDING DIVERTING. WE ASKED THE FLT ATTENDANTS OVER DEN IF THINGS WERE BECOMING WORSE AND INTRODUCED THEM TO THE OPTION OF A DIVERT TO ANOTHER ARPT TO LEAVE HIM WITH POLICE. WE DECIDED TO TRY AND CONTINUE THE TRIP SINCE PAX X HADN'T BECOME VIOLENT OR MADE ANY VERBAL THREATS TO THE CREW. THE CAPT CONTINUED TO ADVISE THE DISPATCHER VIA ACARS TO KEEP COMPANY ADVISED OF THE SIT. HE STEADILY BECAME MORE INSISTENT ON LEAVING THE ACFT AND TRIED TO LEAVE HIS SEAT TO GO TO THE REAR L2 AND R2 DOORS TO FORCE HIS WAY OUT OF THE PLANE. HE WAS RESTRAINED BY THE MIL OFFICER. PAX X WAS DEATHLY AFRAID OF WHOEVER WAS 'THREATENING' HIM. HE YELLED OUT, 'CAN'T YOU SEE THEM? THEY'RE STARING AND GRINNING AT ME. THEY WAS TO KILL ME.' HE WAS STILL SEEING THE ACFT ON FIRE, PAX WANTING TO KILL HIM AND TAUNTING HIM. PAX X SAW GUNS AND KNIVES AND JUST WANTED OFF. IT SEEMED TO US THAT THE SIT WAS DETERIORATING SO WE MADE THE DECISION TO DIVERT TO MCI. THE CAPT COMMUNICATED WITH DISPATCH IN THE DSCNT TO GET THE NECESSARY COM UNDER WAY TO MCI ARPT, MCI POLICE, AND COMPANY PERSONNEL TO PREPARE A GATE FOR US. ATC WAS EXTREMELY ACCOMMODATING. NO VIOLENT ACT WAS COMMITTED SO NO EMER DECLARATION WAS MADE. THE CAPT WAS INFORMATIVE BUT VAGUE IN HIS ARR BRIEFING TO THE PAX (SO AS TO NOT ALARM PAX X). HE ALSO REQUESTED THAT ALL PAX REMAIN IN THEIR SEATS ONCE AT THE GATE. THIS WAS TO ALLOW POLICE ACCESS TO THE REAR OF THE ACFT ASAP. I FLEW A NORMAL VISUAL APCH TO RWY 19L. ONCE ON THE GND, PAX X TRIED TO GET UP OUT OF HIS SEAT AND AGAIN HAD TO BE RESTRAINED BY THE MIL OFFICER. WE PARKED AT GATE X ON THE X CONCOURSE AFTER FOLLOWING A 'FOLLOW ME' TRUCK. MCI POLICE, PARAMEDICS AND MCI ARPT AUTH WERE STANDING BY IN THE JETWAY. PAX X WAS REMOVED BY MCI ARPT POLICE IN CUFFS. COM BTWN THEENTIRE CREW AND DISPATCH WERE EXCELLENT. THE MCI STATION MGR TOLD ME IN THE JETWAY THAT PAX X WAS A PROFILED PAX, AND WE FOUND HIS BOARDING CARD IN HIS SEAT BACK POUCH. ALL HE BROUGHT ONBOARD WAS A HALF-EMPTY 20 OZ BOTTLE OF PEPSI (WHICH WAS LATER GIVEN TO POLICE FOR DRUG TESTING).

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.