Narrative:

Flight attendant called and said a man was acting in a strange manner in back of aircraft. As she was speaking he started to physically attack her. He started screaming obscenities and headed toward the cockpit. When another flight attendant tried to stop him, he either kicked her or pushed her aside. It took 6 passengers to restrain him. Our flight was originally den-lga, but we immediately diverted to oma. Oma police removed the passenger from aircraft. One flight attendant was taken to hospital for x-rays. We were on an large transport aircraft and landed 8000 pounds over gross. Time was of the essence. We also had the 6 people who were restraining the passenger, continue to hold him on the aisle floor during the landing. The passenger had boarded the aircraft in slc with another crew. He acted strange enough that the passenger agent and a supervisor talked to him about going from den- lga with us. I assumed he had walked off the aircraft in den because the supervisor and agent never came to the cockpit to tell me about the passenger. When I asked the first flight attendant about him, she responded the passenger supervisor said he was ok and going to behave himself. Unfortunately this was not to be the case. I think a lot of ground people (read passenger agents) simply want to shut the door on the problem and have it fly out of town and leave it to the flight crew to handle in the air. This can lead to a very dangerous situation in the air.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR LGT ACFT FLC DIVERTED TO A NEARBY ARPT AFTER A PAX BECAME UNRULY, RESULTING IN LNDG THE ACFT OVER LEGAL LNDG WT AND PAX NOT PROPERLY SEATED WITH A SEAT BELT SECURED ABOUT THEM AND INJURY TO A CABIN ATTENDANT.

Narrative: FLT ATTENDANT CALLED AND SAID A MAN WAS ACTING IN A STRANGE MANNER IN BACK OF ACFT. AS SHE WAS SPEAKING HE STARTED TO PHYSICALLY ATTACK HER. HE STARTED SCREAMING OBSCENITIES AND HEADED TOWARD THE COCKPIT. WHEN ANOTHER FLT ATTENDANT TRIED TO STOP HIM, HE EITHER KICKED HER OR PUSHED HER ASIDE. IT TOOK 6 PAXS TO RESTRAIN HIM. OUR FLT WAS ORIGINALLY DEN-LGA, BUT WE IMMEDIATELY DIVERTED TO OMA. OMA POLICE REMOVED THE PAX FROM ACFT. ONE FLT ATTENDANT WAS TAKEN TO HOSPITAL FOR X-RAYS. WE WERE ON AN LGT ACFT AND LANDED 8000 POUNDS OVER GROSS. TIME WAS OF THE ESSENCE. WE ALSO HAD THE 6 PEOPLE WHO WERE RESTRAINING THE PAX, CONTINUE TO HOLD HIM ON THE AISLE FLOOR DURING THE LNDG. THE PAX HAD BOARDED THE ACFT IN SLC WITH ANOTHER CREW. HE ACTED STRANGE ENOUGH THAT THE PAX AGENT AND A SUPVR TALKED TO HIM ABOUT GOING FROM DEN- LGA WITH US. I ASSUMED HE HAD WALKED OFF THE ACFT IN DEN BECAUSE THE SUPVR AND AGENT NEVER CAME TO THE COCKPIT TO TELL ME ABOUT THE PAX. WHEN I ASKED THE FIRST FLT ATTENDANT ABOUT HIM, SHE RESPONDED THE PAX SUPVR SAID HE WAS OK AND GOING TO BEHAVE HIMSELF. UNFORTUNATELY THIS WAS NOT TO BE THE CASE. I THINK A LOT OF GND PEOPLE (READ PAX AGENTS) SIMPLY WANT TO SHUT THE DOOR ON THE PROBLEM AND HAVE IT FLY OUT OF TOWN AND LEAVE IT TO THE FLC TO HANDLE IN THE AIR. THIS CAN LEAD TO A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION IN THE AIR.

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.