Narrative:

I was the first officer on board flight from pit-ord. The flight was delayed approximately 2 1/2 hours due to an equipment substitution. Several groups of passenger spent this delay at a bar becoming quite drunk and rowdy. After the aircraft was boarded, the agent and a company supervisor spoke to the captain about the condition of a certain group of passenger and stated that they had no problem with taking them off the aircraft if the captain felt it was necessary. The captain went back and spoke to the passenger. Upon returning, he stated he felt the group would behave, so the flight was closed out and the aircraft departed the gate. Trouble started about mid flight when the flight attendants refused the group any more to drink. According to the flight attendants, from this point, a few individuals started to become disorderly, abusive and disruptive. A decision was made by the captain to have security meet the aircraft when we landed in ord. During the final descent phase from 10000 ft to 4000 ft the situation seemed to be getting out of control of the flight attendants. They rung the cockpit several times to report problems with the passenger. Because of this the captain was disrupted from performing his flight deck duties during a critical phase of flight. I recall thinking at the time that this was not a good time to have so many distrs, especially while being vectored for approach at the world's busiest airport. In a final effort to get the cabin under control, the captain made a PA asking for order. We made a normal approach and landing on runway 4R, taxied to the gate and had 1 or 2 of the disruptive passenger arrested. This situation could have obviously been avoided had this group not been boarded in pit. But with a judgement call of this nature how can you know how someone is going to act when the aircraft door is closed. I support the decision to take the passenger although in retrospect it was the wrong thing to do. Also, I feel good about how the problem was handled during the approach phase of flight. The captain communicated with the flight attendants and the company while I flew the aircraft and talked to ATC. I tried not to pay attention to what was going on in the back, while he got things straightened out with the flight attendants. When he put down the interphone after the final PA I brought him back into the loop and he resumed communication with ATC and a normal approach and landing was made. Supplemental information from acn 252338: during boarding a group of about 30 softball players were very loud and boisterous, some of whom were almost rowdy. I overheard someone reference a bomb threat but took it to mean they hoped we were not going to be further delayed because of a threat. One of the flight attendants heard the same comment and informed me of her irritation with these passenger. No one appeared to be drunk and I did instruct the flight attendants to use their best judgement when serving alcohol. I received another call from a different flight attendant who told me someone had been or was smoking in the main cabin and was upsetting a lot of fellow passenger. Shortly thereafter, a flight attendant riding the aft jump seat, a mr. X who was helping with the service, called and said one particular passenger, who had been causing numerous problems was now spitting on other passenger, was complaining about not being served an alcoholic drink and was the one suspected of smoking. Our flight attendants had been in tears and were visibly shaken by the ordeal. The WX was good and I was flying with an extremely sharp and competent first officer who flew the aircraft exactly the way he was supposed to. I hope the FAA does not try to take action against the crew for trying to make passenger behave.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PAX BEHAVIOR AGGRESSION, PAX DISTR PERSONAL INTERVENTION CREATED CABIN ATTENDANT BEHAVIOR EMOTIONAL TRAUMA, CABIN ATTENDANT DISTR TASK NOISE, PAX BEHAVIOR EMOTIONAL TRAUMA PHYSICAL DISCOMFORT AND FLC DISTR TASK COMPANY RADIO COM. DRUNKS ON BOARD.

Narrative: I WAS THE FO ON BOARD FLT FROM PIT-ORD. THE FLT WAS DELAYED APPROX 2 1/2 HRS DUE TO AN EQUIP SUBSTITUTION. SEVERAL GROUPS OF PAX SPENT THIS DELAY AT A BAR BECOMING QUITE DRUNK AND ROWDY. AFTER THE ACFT WAS BOARDED, THE AGENT AND A COMPANY SUPVR SPOKE TO THE CAPT ABOUT THE CONDITION OF A CERTAIN GROUP OF PAX AND STATED THAT THEY HAD NO PROB WITH TAKING THEM OFF THE ACFT IF THE CAPT FELT IT WAS NECESSARY. THE CAPT WENT BACK AND SPOKE TO THE PAX. UPON RETURNING, HE STATED HE FELT THE GROUP WOULD BEHAVE, SO THE FLT WAS CLOSED OUT AND THE ACFT DEPARTED THE GATE. TROUBLE STARTED ABOUT MID FLT WHEN THE FLT ATTENDANTS REFUSED THE GROUP ANY MORE TO DRINK. ACCORDING TO THE FLT ATTENDANTS, FROM THIS POINT, A FEW INDIVIDUALS STARTED TO BECOME DISORDERLY, ABUSIVE AND DISRUPTIVE. A DECISION WAS MADE BY THE CAPT TO HAVE SECURITY MEET THE ACFT WHEN WE LANDED IN ORD. DURING THE FINAL DSCNT PHASE FROM 10000 FT TO 4000 FT THE SIT SEEMED TO BE GETTING OUT OF CTL OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS. THEY RUNG THE COCKPIT SEVERAL TIMES TO RPT PROBS WITH THE PAX. BECAUSE OF THIS THE CAPT WAS DISRUPTED FROM PERFORMING HIS FLT DECK DUTIES DURING A CRITICAL PHASE OF FLT. I RECALL THINKING AT THE TIME THAT THIS WAS NOT A GOOD TIME TO HAVE SO MANY DISTRS, ESPECIALLY WHILE BEING VECTORED FOR APCH AT THE WORLD'S BUSIEST ARPT. IN A FINAL EFFORT TO GET THE CABIN UNDER CTL, THE CAPT MADE A PA ASKING FOR ORDER. WE MADE A NORMAL APCH AND LNDG ON RWY 4R, TAXIED TO THE GATE AND HAD 1 OR 2 OF THE DISRUPTIVE PAX ARRESTED. THIS SIT COULD HAVE OBVIOUSLY BEEN AVOIDED HAD THIS GROUP NOT BEEN BOARDED IN PIT. BUT WITH A JUDGEMENT CALL OF THIS NATURE HOW CAN YOU KNOW HOW SOMEONE IS GOING TO ACT WHEN THE ACFT DOOR IS CLOSED. I SUPPORT THE DECISION TO TAKE THE PAX ALTHOUGH IN RETROSPECT IT WAS THE WRONG THING TO DO. ALSO, I FEEL GOOD ABOUT HOW THE PROB WAS HANDLED DURING THE APCH PHASE OF FLT. THE CAPT COMMUNICATED WITH THE FLT ATTENDANTS AND THE COMPANY WHILE I FLEW THE ACFT AND TALKED TO ATC. I TRIED NOT TO PAY ATTN TO WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THE BACK, WHILE HE GOT THINGS STRAIGHTENED OUT WITH THE FLT ATTENDANTS. WHEN HE PUT DOWN THE INTERPHONE AFTER THE FINAL PA I BROUGHT HIM BACK INTO THE LOOP AND HE RESUMED COM WITH ATC AND A NORMAL APCH AND LNDG WAS MADE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION FROM ACN 252338: DURING BOARDING A GROUP OF ABOUT 30 SOFTBALL PLAYERS WERE VERY LOUD AND BOISTEROUS, SOME OF WHOM WERE ALMOST ROWDY. I OVERHEARD SOMEONE REF A BOMB THREAT BUT TOOK IT TO MEAN THEY HOPED WE WERE NOT GOING TO BE FURTHER DELAYED BECAUSE OF A THREAT. ONE OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS HEARD THE SAME COMMENT AND INFORMED ME OF HER IRRITATION WITH THESE PAX. NO ONE APPEARED TO BE DRUNK AND I DID INSTRUCT THE FLT ATTENDANTS TO USE THEIR BEST JUDGEMENT WHEN SERVING ALCOHOL. I RECEIVED ANOTHER CALL FROM A DIFFERENT FLT ATTENDANT WHO TOLD ME SOMEONE HAD BEEN OR WAS SMOKING IN THE MAIN CABIN AND WAS UPSETTING A LOT OF FELLOW PAX. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, A FLT ATTENDANT RIDING THE AFT JUMP SEAT, A MR. X WHO WAS HELPING WITH THE SVC, CALLED AND SAID ONE PARTICULAR PAX, WHO HAD BEEN CAUSING NUMEROUS PROBS WAS NOW SPITTING ON OTHER PAX, WAS COMPLAINING ABOUT NOT BEING SERVED AN ALCOHOLIC DRINK AND WAS THE ONE SUSPECTED OF SMOKING. OUR FLT ATTENDANTS HAD BEEN IN TEARS AND WERE VISIBLY SHAKEN BY THE ORDEAL. THE WX WAS GOOD AND I WAS FLYING WITH AN EXTREMELY SHARP AND COMPETENT FO WHO FLEW THE ACFT EXACTLY THE WAY HE WAS SUPPOSED TO. I HOPE THE FAA DOES NOT TRY TO TAKE ACTION AGAINST THE CREW FOR TRYING TO MAKE PAX BEHAVE.

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.