Narrative:

Delayed and late arrival lga from iad. Kept same jet. I went down to lga operations; encountered a language problem and verbal abuse from an aircraft cleaner that had boarded (I did not understand and was hardly aware of this but my chief purser picked up on it and took it to the cleaners supervisor). I continued down to operations; flight planned and coordination with dispatch. Returned to jet and first officer and I completed checklists. An lga passenger agent came into the cockpit and asked if we were ready. I said we had flight plan; clearance; fuel; and mrd but I did not have the passenger manifest. The agent discounted me and told me as she was leaving to get it from the flight attendants. I then again asked for the passenger man. She again told me to get it from them. She then slammed my cockpit door. Well; the purser had not given us the count nor the cabin ready and the door was closed. So as PIC; I got up; opened the cockpit door and went back to get the passenger man. From them! The agent was still there and I explained to her that she was required to give the captain a copy. The agent then lost it and grabbed my left arm and shook it; exclaiming that I was not to talk to her like that and that she had been an agent for some number of yrs. I was dumbfounded; startled and stunned. I reacted with my security training; and grabbed the assaulting-grabbing agent's hand and twisted it behind her back. I looked to the other agent and told him to call security. He did not. I told him 2 more times and then released the limp hard/arm of the agent that had attacked me and ordered her off my jet. She did not get off. I told her again. She did not get off. I went to the cockpit; and my first officer or I called operations for an agent supervisor. They wanted me to leave the jet and talk to them down in operations. I told them to come up to my office. After about 15 mins; a supervisor appeared. She listened and told me that this attacking agent was capable of this but there are 2 sides to the story. Enough is enough. For bout 15-30 mins nothing from lga operations. I spoke with my assistant chief pilot and the duty manager. They asked me to just calm things down and get the passenger safely to ZZZ. Finally; a flight attendant manager called the police and told them that I was the aggressor. Knowing full well that I was not; the agent defense began. When it was all over; the agent manager was asked by me for the names; etc; of all her people involved and she not only refused but; after verbally thrashing me; hung up on me. Enough. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter advised that he has been removed from flight status and is undergoing hearings that may result in his discharge. He is dismayed that throughout the incident none of the employees charged with responsibility for security of the aircraft and the passenger responded to his requests for assistance and instead conspired together to get the reporter off the airplane where he was confronted by law enforcement officers and security. Nobody was willing to file charges and the leos departed. The ground personnel then pursued action against the reporter within airline channels.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CAPT AND PAX AGENT ENGAGE IN PHYSICAL CONFRONTATION OVER REQUIRED DEP PAPERWORK.

Narrative: DELAYED AND LATE ARR LGA FROM IAD. KEPT SAME JET. I WENT DOWN TO LGA OPS; ENCOUNTERED A LANGUAGE PROB AND VERBAL ABUSE FROM AN ACFT CLEANER THAT HAD BOARDED (I DID NOT UNDERSTAND AND WAS HARDLY AWARE OF THIS BUT MY CHIEF PURSER PICKED UP ON IT AND TOOK IT TO THE CLEANERS SUPVR). I CONTINUED DOWN TO OPS; FLT PLANNED AND COORD WITH DISPATCH. RETURNED TO JET AND FO AND I COMPLETED CHKLISTS. AN LGA PAX AGENT CAME INTO THE COCKPIT AND ASKED IF WE WERE READY. I SAID WE HAD FLT PLAN; CLRNC; FUEL; AND MRD BUT I DID NOT HAVE THE PAX MANIFEST. THE AGENT DISCOUNTED ME AND TOLD ME AS SHE WAS LEAVING TO GET IT FROM THE FLT ATTENDANTS. I THEN AGAIN ASKED FOR THE PAX MAN. SHE AGAIN TOLD ME TO GET IT FROM THEM. SHE THEN SLAMMED MY COCKPIT DOOR. WELL; THE PURSER HAD NOT GIVEN US THE COUNT NOR THE CABIN READY AND THE DOOR WAS CLOSED. SO AS PIC; I GOT UP; OPENED THE COCKPIT DOOR AND WENT BACK TO GET THE PAX MAN. FROM THEM! THE AGENT WAS STILL THERE AND I EXPLAINED TO HER THAT SHE WAS REQUIRED TO GIVE THE CAPT A COPY. THE AGENT THEN LOST IT AND GRABBED MY L ARM AND SHOOK IT; EXCLAIMING THAT I WAS NOT TO TALK TO HER LIKE THAT AND THAT SHE HAD BEEN AN AGENT FOR SOME NUMBER OF YRS. I WAS DUMBFOUNDED; STARTLED AND STUNNED. I REACTED WITH MY SECURITY TRAINING; AND GRABBED THE ASSAULTING-GRABBING AGENT'S HAND AND TWISTED IT BEHIND HER BACK. I LOOKED TO THE OTHER AGENT AND TOLD HIM TO CALL SECURITY. HE DID NOT. I TOLD HIM 2 MORE TIMES AND THEN RELEASED THE LIMP HARD/ARM OF THE AGENT THAT HAD ATTACKED ME AND ORDERED HER OFF MY JET. SHE DID NOT GET OFF. I TOLD HER AGAIN. SHE DID NOT GET OFF. I WENT TO THE COCKPIT; AND MY FO OR I CALLED OPS FOR AN AGENT SUPVR. THEY WANTED ME TO LEAVE THE JET AND TALK TO THEM DOWN IN OPS. I TOLD THEM TO COME UP TO MY OFFICE. AFTER ABOUT 15 MINS; A SUPVR APPEARED. SHE LISTENED AND TOLD ME THAT THIS ATTACKING AGENT WAS CAPABLE OF THIS BUT THERE ARE 2 SIDES TO THE STORY. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. FOR BOUT 15-30 MINS NOTHING FROM LGA OPS. I SPOKE WITH MY ASSISTANT CHIEF PLT AND THE DUTY MGR. THEY ASKED ME TO JUST CALM THINGS DOWN AND GET THE PAX SAFELY TO ZZZ. FINALLY; A FLT ATTENDANT MGR CALLED THE POLICE AND TOLD THEM THAT I WAS THE AGGRESSOR. KNOWING FULL WELL THAT I WAS NOT; THE AGENT DEFENSE BEGAN. WHEN IT WAS ALL OVER; THE AGENT MGR WAS ASKED BY ME FOR THE NAMES; ETC; OF ALL HER PEOPLE INVOLVED AND SHE NOT ONLY REFUSED BUT; AFTER VERBALLY THRASHING ME; HUNG UP ON ME. ENOUGH. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR ADVISED THAT HE HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM FLT STATUS AND IS UNDERGOING HEARINGS THAT MAY RESULT IN HIS DISCHARGE. HE IS DISMAYED THAT THROUGHOUT THE INCIDENT NONE OF THE EMPLOYEES CHARGED WITH RESPONSIBILITY FOR SECURITY OF THE ACFT AND THE PAX RESPONDED TO HIS REQUESTS FOR ASSISTANCE AND INSTEAD CONSPIRED TOGETHER TO GET THE RPTR OFF THE AIRPLANE WHERE HE WAS CONFRONTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS AND SECURITY. NOBODY WAS WILLING TO FILE CHARGES AND THE LEOS DEPARTED. THE GND PERSONNEL THEN PURSUED ACTION AGAINST THE RPTR WITHIN AIRLINE CHANNELS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.