Narrative:

The forward cargo door motor was inoperative so substantial baggage was placed in the aft cargo compartment. For weight-and-balance purposes, this required the four rear most rows of seats to be vacant throughout the flight. In compliance with federal aviation regulations, all passengers seated in these rows were moved forward prior to taxiing away from the ramp. Approximately 15 mins after takeoff, while the seat belt sign was still illuminated, our F/a called on the intercom and said that one passenger got up and moved to one of the blocked rows (seat 10B). She asked if one of us (pilots) could go to the cabin and confront the fellow because she was unsuccessful in her attempts to get him to move. I asked her to elaborate. She said that she requested him to mve and he refused. She advised him that it's important to move due to weight-and-balance limitations, and he said that he's pilot and he knows better and he uttered four-letter words at her. She told him that the pilots requested for him to move and he said, 'if the pilots want me to move, they can come back here and make me.' at the time, things were still too busy in the cockpit for either of us to leave, but I was concerned with the passenger's violent reaction to our F/a. In my experience, our F/as are pretty thick-skinned and don't complain unless we have a serious problem. My first officer was both flying and working the radio while I was discussing this matter with our F/a and ascertaining if we should return to the airport from which we just departed. I asked our F/a if she believed that our passenger had calmed down somewhat. She reminded me that the passenger was not seated within the blocked rows where there was no one for him to disturb. Since he was isolated from everyone, I decided to continue to our destination but I wanted to ensure that nothing whatsoever would be done to agitate this individual. I did not want a number of passengers to remember this flight as a bad experience. I advised our F/a to treat the passenger as if nothing happened, to notify me immediately if he caused any additional trouble. I rationalized that since the passenger vacated the aft rows of seats while the aircraft was on the ground, and especially since he indicated that he was a pilot, he was aware of the laws and intentionally violated them. I believe he knew that if he refused to comply with the instructions before we left the ground, we would not have left the ground. While in flight, he left his seat while the seatbelt sign was still illuminated. He disobeyed instructions issued by a uniformed crew member and uttered four-letter words in return. He interfered with crew members in the performance of their duties. He sat in a location which he had previously been told would cause the aircraft to be out of weight-and-balance limitations, and he had previously agreed not to situation there. As a pilot, he certainly knows the significance of keeping an aircraft loaded within weight-and-balance parameters. Therefore, he willfully jeopardized the lives of everyone aboard the aircraft. I contacted operations and apprised them of our situation, and requested that security meet the airplane at our destination. Later in the flight, our F/a said that when she offered refreshments to the passenger, he just sat there with his arms folded and would not look at her. A safe landing was effected at our destination. The safe termination of this flight would have been in serious doubt if other passengers had followed this man's example.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SEVERAL PASSENGERS MOVED FORWARD FOR WEIGHT AND BALANCE FOR TKOF. ONE PASSENGER MOVED AFT IN FLT AND REFUSED TO RETURN TO THE FORWARD SEAT. CAPT ELECTED TO ALLOW THE PASSENGER TO REMAIN ISOLATED AND MADE NORMAL LNDG AT NEXT STOP.

Narrative: THE FORWARD CARGO DOOR MOTOR WAS INOPERATIVE SO SUBSTANTIAL BAGGAGE WAS PLACED IN THE AFT CARGO COMPARTMENT. FOR WEIGHT-AND-BALANCE PURPOSES, THIS REQUIRED THE FOUR REAR MOST ROWS OF SEATS TO BE VACANT THROUGHOUT THE FLT. IN COMPLIANCE WITH FEDERAL AVIATION REGS, ALL PAXS SEATED IN THESE ROWS WERE MOVED FORWARD PRIOR TO TAXIING AWAY FROM THE RAMP. APPROX 15 MINS AFTER TKOF, WHILE THE SEAT BELT SIGN WAS STILL ILLUMINATED, OUR F/A CALLED ON THE INTERCOM AND SAID THAT ONE PAX GOT UP AND MOVED TO ONE OF THE BLOCKED ROWS (SEAT 10B). SHE ASKED IF ONE OF US (PLTS) COULD GO TO THE CABIN AND CONFRONT THE FELLOW BECAUSE SHE WAS UNSUCCESSFUL IN HER ATTEMPTS TO GET HIM TO MOVE. I ASKED HER TO ELABORATE. SHE SAID THAT SHE REQUESTED HIM TO MVE AND HE REFUSED. SHE ADVISED HIM THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO MOVE DUE TO WEIGHT-AND-BALANCE LIMITATIONS, AND HE SAID THAT HE'S PLT AND HE KNOWS BETTER AND HE UTTERED FOUR-LETTER WORDS AT HER. SHE TOLD HIM THAT THE PLTS REQUESTED FOR HIM TO MOVE AND HE SAID, 'IF THE PLTS WANT ME TO MOVE, THEY CAN COME BACK HERE AND MAKE ME.' AT THE TIME, THINGS WERE STILL TOO BUSY IN THE COCKPIT FOR EITHER OF US TO LEAVE, BUT I WAS CONCERNED WITH THE PAX'S VIOLENT REACTION TO OUR F/A. IN MY EXPERIENCE, OUR F/AS ARE PRETTY THICK-SKINNED AND DON'T COMPLAIN UNLESS WE HAVE A SERIOUS PROB. MY F/O WAS BOTH FLYING AND WORKING THE RADIO WHILE I WAS DISCUSSING THIS MATTER WITH OUR F/A AND ASCERTAINING IF WE SHOULD RETURN TO THE ARPT FROM WHICH WE JUST DEPARTED. I ASKED OUR F/A IF SHE BELIEVED THAT OUR PAX HAD CALMED DOWN SOMEWHAT. SHE REMINDED ME THAT THE PAX WAS NOT SEATED WITHIN THE BLOCKED ROWS WHERE THERE WAS NO ONE FOR HIM TO DISTURB. SINCE HE WAS ISOLATED FROM EVERYONE, I DECIDED TO CONTINUE TO OUR DEST BUT I WANTED TO ENSURE THAT NOTHING WHATSOEVER WOULD BE DONE TO AGITATE THIS INDIVIDUAL. I DID NOT WANT A NUMBER OF PAXS TO REMEMBER THIS FLT AS A BAD EXPERIENCE. I ADVISED OUR F/A TO TREAT THE PAX AS IF NOTHING HAPPENED, TO NOTIFY ME IMMEDIATELY IF HE CAUSED ANY ADDITIONAL TROUBLE. I RATIONALIZED THAT SINCE THE PAX VACATED THE AFT ROWS OF SEATS WHILE THE ACFT WAS ON THE GND, AND ESPECIALLY SINCE HE INDICATED THAT HE WAS A PLT, HE WAS AWARE OF THE LAWS AND INTENTIONALLY VIOLATED THEM. I BELIEVE HE KNEW THAT IF HE REFUSED TO COMPLY WITH THE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE WE L THE GND, WE WOULD NOT HAVE L THE GND. WHILE IN FLT, HE L HIS SEAT WHILE THE SEATBELT SIGN WAS STILL ILLUMINATED. HE DISOBEYED INSTRUCTIONS ISSUED BY A UNIFORMED CREW MEMBER AND UTTERED FOUR-LETTER WORDS IN RETURN. HE INTERFERED WITH CREW MEMBERS IN THE PERFORMANCE OF THEIR DUTIES. HE SAT IN A LOCATION WHICH HE HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN TOLD WOULD CAUSE THE ACFT TO BE OUT OF WEIGHT-AND-BALANCE LIMITATIONS, AND HE HAD PREVIOUSLY AGREED NOT TO SIT THERE. AS A PLT, HE CERTAINLY KNOWS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF KEEPING AN ACFT LOADED WITHIN WEIGHT-AND-BALANCE PARAMETERS. THEREFORE, HE WILLFULLY JEOPARDIZED THE LIVES OF EVERYONE ABOARD THE ACFT. I CONTACTED OPS AND APPRISED THEM OF OUR SITUATION, AND REQUESTED THAT SECURITY MEET THE AIRPLANE AT OUR DEST. LATER IN THE FLT, OUR F/A SAID THAT WHEN SHE OFFERED REFRESHMENTS TO THE PAX, HE JUST SAT THERE WITH HIS ARMS FOLDED AND WOULD NOT LOOK AT HER. A SAFE LNDG WAS EFFECTED AT OUR DEST. THE SAFE TERMINATION OF THIS FLT WOULD HAVE BEEN IN SERIOUS DOUBT IF OTHER PAXS HAD FOLLOWED THIS MAN'S EXAMPLE.

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.