Narrative:

On flight xx cun/mia, due to late inbound, flight attendants crew scheduled for layover in cun, stayed in the aircraft to board passenger for outbound flight. The late flight attendant arrived at the aircraft approximately 10 mins prior to departure, and I gave a flight briefing to the purser, flight attendant #1, while the crew exchange was taking place. I did not have a chance to meet the rest of the in-flight crew. Just prior to the forward door closed, I heard 1 flight attendant talking loud, and when I looked back down the aisle, I thought she didn't seem right. I called to the purser to ask about her and she told me she was acting strange. I felt she could not perform her duties and told this to the purser. I felt that this flight attendant should be removed from the flight, but finally, the purser and I agreed that we had minimum required flight attendants for the flight. The purser suggested that the flight attendant should be relived of her duties and take a cabin seat. Due to the short notice of this problem and that the flight crew had been flying with her all day, they insured to me that the flight attendant in question would not cause a problem and handle this back at base. Just prior to pushback, I asked the purser if the flight attendant was relieved of duty for sure and would not interfere with the flight. She said, yes, and we departed. During climb out from cun, after about 4 mins flying time, the first officer and check airman on the jump seat said they smelled smoke. A few seconds later I smelled it, faint at first, then strong, and could see smoke coming from the anti-collision light switch area. I was flying and began a return for landing. The smoke stopped in less than 1 min. All emergency and normal checklists were completed. An overweight landing was accomplished, with no further smoke problem. 9 mins total flight time. After parking and checklist completed, during the deplaning, the flight attendant in question was talking aloud and in an intoxicated manner. I informed the purser and station manager that this flight attendant could not remain on this flight for subsequent departure. I was also told later, she had been asleep during our flight and return to cun. I tried to talk to her after the passenger were off but she was passed out. Due to the fact that I had no time to meet her before departure or after the flight, I cannot say for sure the reason for her condition. But had I known more before departure, I would not have allowed her to be on the flight. A situation like this puts all of us in a bad position. This person is need of professional help. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that he was never close enough to her to smell her breath for alcohol. The flight attendants (including her) had just worked a dallas-miami-cancun schedule that day, and had this last segment to go to finish the day. The purser never indicated that she had been trouble for them on the earlier segments. After they returned and landed in cancun, the check airman went back to the cabin as the passenger were deplaning and the 'intoxicated' flight attendant tried to stand up from her seat in first class, and her knees buckled and she started to fall. She then said, 'can we get off now ?' but she didn't realize where they had landed. They spent 1 1/2 hours on the ground for maintenance, and took off again. The reporter doesn't know how long she remained in cancun or what happened to her after this incident.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT RPT, B757, CUN-MIA. CAPT NOTICED A CABIN ATTENDANT ACTING INTOXICATED, WANTED HER RELIEVED FROM DUTY. SMOKE IN COCKPIT. RETURN CUN. INTOXICATED CABIN ATTENDANT REMOVED FROM FLT. MAINT PROC. RETURN TO MIA.

Narrative: ON FLT XX CUN/MIA, DUE TO LATE INBOUND, FLT ATTENDANTS CREW SCHEDULED FOR LAYOVER IN CUN, STAYED IN THE ACFT TO BOARD PAX FOR OUTBOUND FLT. THE LATE FLT ATTENDANT ARRIVED AT THE ACFT APPROX 10 MINS PRIOR TO DEP, AND I GAVE A FLT BRIEFING TO THE PURSER, FLT ATTENDANT #1, WHILE THE CREW EXCHANGE WAS TAKING PLACE. I DID NOT HAVE A CHANCE TO MEET THE REST OF THE INFLT CREW. JUST PRIOR TO THE FORWARD DOOR CLOSED, I HEARD 1 FLT ATTENDANT TALKING LOUD, AND WHEN I LOOKED BACK DOWN THE AISLE, I THOUGHT SHE DIDN'T SEEM RIGHT. I CALLED TO THE PURSER TO ASK ABOUT HER AND SHE TOLD ME SHE WAS ACTING STRANGE. I FELT SHE COULD NOT PERFORM HER DUTIES AND TOLD THIS TO THE PURSER. I FELT THAT THIS FLT ATTENDANT SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM THE FLT, BUT FINALLY, THE PURSER AND I AGREED THAT WE HAD MINIMUM REQUIRED FLT ATTENDANTS FOR THE FLT. THE PURSER SUGGESTED THAT THE FLT ATTENDANT SHOULD BE RELIVED OF HER DUTIES AND TAKE A CABIN SEAT. DUE TO THE SHORT NOTICE OF THIS PROB AND THAT THE FLC HAD BEEN FLYING WITH HER ALL DAY, THEY INSURED TO ME THAT THE FLT ATTENDANT IN QUESTION WOULD NOT CAUSE A PROB AND HANDLE THIS BACK AT BASE. JUST PRIOR TO PUSHBACK, I ASKED THE PURSER IF THE FLT ATTENDANT WAS RELIEVED OF DUTY FOR SURE AND WOULD NOT INTERFERE WITH THE FLT. SHE SAID, YES, AND WE DEPARTED. DURING CLBOUT FROM CUN, AFTER ABOUT 4 MINS FLYING TIME, THE FO AND CHK AIRMAN ON THE JUMP SEAT SAID THEY SMELLED SMOKE. A FEW SECONDS LATER I SMELLED IT, FAINT AT FIRST, THEN STRONG, AND COULD SEE SMOKE COMING FROM THE ANTI-COLLISION LIGHT SWITCH AREA. I WAS FLYING AND BEGAN A RETURN FOR LNDG. THE SMOKE STOPPED IN LESS THAN 1 MIN. ALL EMER AND NORMAL CHKLISTS WERE COMPLETED. AN OVERWT LNDG WAS ACCOMPLISHED, WITH NO FURTHER SMOKE PROB. 9 MINS TOTAL FLT TIME. AFTER PARKING AND CHKLIST COMPLETED, DURING THE DEPLANING, THE FLT ATTENDANT IN QUESTION WAS TALKING ALOUD AND IN AN INTOXICATED MANNER. I INFORMED THE PURSER AND STATION MGR THAT THIS FLT ATTENDANT COULD NOT REMAIN ON THIS FLT FOR SUBSEQUENT DEP. I WAS ALSO TOLD LATER, SHE HAD BEEN ASLEEP DURING OUR FLT AND RETURN TO CUN. I TRIED TO TALK TO HER AFTER THE PAX WERE OFF BUT SHE WAS PASSED OUT. DUE TO THE FACT THAT I HAD NO TIME TO MEET HER BEFORE DEP OR AFTER THE FLT, I CANNOT SAY FOR SURE THE REASON FOR HER CONDITION. BUT HAD I KNOWN MORE BEFORE DEP, I WOULD NOT HAVE ALLOWED HER TO BE ON THE FLT. A SIT LIKE THIS PUTS ALL OF US IN A BAD POS. THIS PERSON IS NEED OF PROFESSIONAL HELP. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT HE WAS NEVER CLOSE ENOUGH TO HER TO SMELL HER BREATH FOR ALCOHOL. THE FLT ATTENDANTS (INCLUDING HER) HAD JUST WORKED A DALLAS-MIAMI-CANCUN SCHEDULE THAT DAY, AND HAD THIS LAST SEGMENT TO GO TO FINISH THE DAY. THE PURSER NEVER INDICATED THAT SHE HAD BEEN TROUBLE FOR THEM ON THE EARLIER SEGMENTS. AFTER THEY RETURNED AND LANDED IN CANCUN, THE CHK AIRMAN WENT BACK TO THE CABIN AS THE PAX WERE DEPLANING AND THE 'INTOXICATED' FLT ATTENDANT TRIED TO STAND UP FROM HER SEAT IN FIRST CLASS, AND HER KNEES BUCKLED AND SHE STARTED TO FALL. SHE THEN SAID, 'CAN WE GET OFF NOW ?' BUT SHE DIDN'T REALIZE WHERE THEY HAD LANDED. THEY SPENT 1 1/2 HRS ON THE GND FOR MAINT, AND TOOK OFF AGAIN. THE RPTR DOESN'T KNOW HOW LONG SHE REMAINED IN CANCUN OR WHAT HAPPENED TO HER AFTER THIS INCIDENT.

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.