A320 captain and the purser involved reported a return to the gate to inspect for hail damage at whi...

Narrative:

We pushed off gate late after incurring several delays (late inbound aircraft and ramp closures due to lightning). Upon taxiing out thunderstorms delayed the flight from departing for approximately two hours. While number three for takeoff flight received ACARS message from dispatch to return to gate for inspection due to possible hail damage. After arriving at the gate captain asked first officer to contact operations asking for complaint resolution officer due to unruly passenger. Observation of passenger indicated he was extremely belligerent; agitated; and was filming crew threatening legal action. His behavior was becoming increasingly hostile and unpredictable upsetting other passengers and making flight attendants fearful for their safety. Captain made the decision to call for law enforcement to guard against any physical violence escalation. After the conflict resolution person arrived the entire aircraft was deplaned (hail inspection) and unruly passenger placed on later flight at crews request. Law enforcement never appeared despite captain's request from csr and supervisor. This is a clear indication of overriding captain's authority; responsibility; and decision to request law enforcement. The captain now does not have the confidence law enforcement will be called when necessary.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A320 Captain and the Purser involved reported a return to the gate to inspect for hail damage at which point a passenger became irate and was removed from the flight.

Narrative: We pushed off gate late after incurring several delays (late inbound aircraft and ramp closures due to lightning). Upon taxiing out thunderstorms delayed the flight from departing for approximately two hours. While number three for takeoff flight received ACARS message from Dispatch to return to gate for inspection due to possible hail damage. After arriving at the gate Captain asked First Officer to contact operations asking for Complaint Resolution Officer due to unruly passenger. Observation of passenger indicated he was extremely belligerent; agitated; and was filming crew threatening legal action. His behavior was becoming increasingly hostile and unpredictable upsetting other passengers and making flight attendants fearful for their safety. Captain made the decision to call for law enforcement to guard against any physical violence escalation. After the Conflict Resolution person arrived the entire aircraft was deplaned (hail inspection) and unruly passenger placed on later flight at crews request. Law enforcement never appeared despite Captain's request from CSR and supervisor. This is a clear indication of overriding Captain's authority; responsibility; and decision to request law enforcement. The Captain now does not have the confidence law enforcement will be called when necessary.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.

Attributes
ACN	1458121
Time
Date	201706
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZ.Airport
State Reference	US
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	A320
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Parked
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Function	Captain
Qualification	Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Person 2
Function	Flight Attendant In Charge Flight Attendant (On Duty)
Qualification	Flight Attendant Current
Events
Anomaly	Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Passenger Misconduct Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence

A320 captain and the purser involved reported a return to the gate to inspect for hail damage at which point a passenger became irate and was removed from the flight.