Narrative:

Just when you think you've heard everything: we had landed on the outside runway, and were holding short of the inside, which was pretty busy. Several passenger got up to go to the lavatories, and the flight attendants made a PA for everyone to stay seated, and advised me when everyone was 'out' and seated. Then I got a call that there was a handicapped passenger who said he had to get in the lavatory immediately or he was going to have an 'accident.' it looked like we might have to hold for 2 or 3 more airplanes anyway, so I allowed that and told them to be sure he knew he needed to hurry as much as he could. Maybe I did that because this is sort of the age of being understanding of the special needs of the handicapped, or because my mother-in-law had ms for 25 yrs, or because my mother got cancer and by the time she died 6 months after diagnosis she was completely helpless, so I was sort of being extra sympathetic, or 'there-but for the grace of god-go I.' anyway, it looked like I could accommodate him with little if any inconvenience to the rest of the passenger. Next time, if there is one, my response will be that, 'I'm very sorry, but...', because here's what happened: the passenger got in the lavatory, and pretty soon we got cleared to cross. About 5 mins later, we had been asked 3 more times by tower if we could cross yet, and had been in contact with the flight attendants, who had been talking to the passenger, several times. We by now had at least 4 other airplanes behind us who were 'stuck' until we moved, and were messing up the tower's traffic flow, and were creating at least some potential of safety problems for airplanes clearing the runway. Then the passenger in the lavatory told the flight attendant that he couldn't come out. I don't know what the problem was, but it was apparently something his wife, who was back at the lavatory, couldn't help him with. Maybe he had the accident he was worried about, I don't know. Anyway, he said he was going to be unable to come out, but he could situation down, and he and his wife felt he could manage that okay, and could I taxi then? Well, no I really couldn't. On the other hand, we now have possibly 500 hostages on the taxiways behind us, a frustrated tower, and a passenger stuck in the lavatories for 5? 10? 30? More mins. The only other option for a timely resolution seemed to be to humiliate a handicapped person by having him bodily removed from the lavatory quietly? Kicking and screaming? Crying? Which wasn't a very attractive option either. So, I taxied very slowly and carefully to the gate. The passenger stayed in the lavatory, but both he and his wife said the taxiing had been no problem to him and he was fine. I think he probably came out when the other passenger had left and his wheelchair arrived. 'Nice guys finish last.' I like to think that isn't really true, but I sure got in a mess this time. Supplemental information from acn 201717: the captain used extreme care to make taxi to the gate as smooth and slow as possible.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR WDB FLC FORCED TO TAXI-IN WITH PAX IN LAVATORY.

Narrative: JUST WHEN YOU THINK YOU'VE HEARD EVERYTHING: WE HAD LANDED ON THE OUTSIDE RWY, AND WERE HOLDING SHORT OF THE INSIDE, WHICH WAS PRETTY BUSY. SEVERAL PAX GOT UP TO GO TO THE LAVATORIES, AND THE FLT ATTENDANTS MADE A PA FOR EVERYONE TO STAY SEATED, AND ADVISED ME WHEN EVERYONE WAS 'OUT' AND SEATED. THEN I GOT A CALL THAT THERE WAS A HANDICAPPED PAX WHO SAID HE HAD TO GET IN THE LAVATORY IMMEDIATELY OR HE WAS GOING TO HAVE AN 'ACCIDENT.' IT LOOKED LIKE WE MIGHT HAVE TO HOLD FOR 2 OR 3 MORE AIRPLANES ANYWAY, SO I ALLOWED THAT AND TOLD THEM TO BE SURE HE KNEW HE NEEDED TO HURRY AS MUCH AS HE COULD. MAYBE I DID THAT BECAUSE THIS IS SORT OF THE AGE OF BEING UNDERSTANDING OF THE SPECIAL NEEDS OF THE HANDICAPPED, OR BECAUSE MY MOTHER-IN-LAW HAD MS FOR 25 YRS, OR BECAUSE MY MOTHER GOT CANCER AND BY THE TIME SHE DIED 6 MONTHS AFTER DIAGNOSIS SHE WAS COMPLETELY HELPLESS, SO I WAS SORT OF BEING EXTRA SYMPATHETIC, OR 'THERE-BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD-GO I.' ANYWAY, IT LOOKED LIKE I COULD ACCOMMODATE HIM WITH LITTLE IF ANY INCONVENIENCE TO THE REST OF THE PAX. NEXT TIME, IF THERE IS ONE, MY RESPONSE WILL BE THAT, 'I'M VERY SORRY, BUT...', BECAUSE HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED: THE PAX GOT IN THE LAVATORY, AND PRETTY SOON WE GOT CLRED TO CROSS. ABOUT 5 MINS LATER, WE HAD BEEN ASKED 3 MORE TIMES BY TWR IF WE COULD CROSS YET, AND HAD BEEN IN CONTACT WITH THE FLT ATTENDANTS, WHO HAD BEEN TALKING TO THE PAX, SEVERAL TIMES. WE BY NOW HAD AT LEAST 4 OTHER AIRPLANES BEHIND US WHO WERE 'STUCK' UNTIL WE MOVED, AND WERE MESSING UP THE TWR'S TFC FLOW, AND WERE CREATING AT LEAST SOME POTENTIAL OF SAFETY PROBLEMS FOR AIRPLANES CLRING THE RWY. THEN THE PAX IN THE LAVATORY TOLD THE FLT ATTENDANT THAT HE COULDN'T COME OUT. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS, BUT IT WAS APPARENTLY SOMETHING HIS WIFE, WHO WAS BACK AT THE LAVATORY, COULDN'T HELP HIM WITH. MAYBE HE HAD THE ACCIDENT HE WAS WORRIED ABOUT, I DON'T KNOW. ANYWAY, HE SAID HE WAS GOING TO BE UNABLE TO COME OUT, BUT HE COULD SIT DOWN, AND HE AND HIS WIFE FELT HE COULD MANAGE THAT OKAY, AND COULD I TAXI THEN? WELL, NO I REALLY COULDN'T. ON THE OTHER HAND, WE NOW HAVE POSSIBLY 500 HOSTAGES ON THE TAXIWAYS BEHIND US, A FRUSTRATED TWR, AND A PAX STUCK IN THE LAVATORIES FOR 5? 10? 30? MORE MINS. THE ONLY OTHER OPTION FOR A TIMELY RESOLUTION SEEMED TO BE TO HUMILIATE A HANDICAPPED PERSON BY HAVING HIM BODILY REMOVED FROM THE LAVATORY QUIETLY? KICKING AND SCREAMING? CRYING? WHICH WASN'T A VERY ATTRACTIVE OPTION EITHER. SO, I TAXIED VERY SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY TO THE GATE. THE PAX STAYED IN THE LAVATORY, BUT BOTH HE AND HIS WIFE SAID THE TAXIING HAD BEEN NO PROBLEM TO HIM AND HE WAS FINE. I THINK HE PROBABLY CAME OUT WHEN THE OTHER PAX HAD LEFT AND HIS WHEELCHAIR ARRIVED. 'NICE GUYS FINISH LAST.' I LIKE TO THINK THAT ISN'T REALLY TRUE, BUT I SURE GOT IN A MESS THIS TIME. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 201717: THE CAPT USED EXTREME CARE TO MAKE TAXI TO THE GATE AS SMOOTH AND SLOW AS POSSIBLE.

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.