Narrative:

On jan/wed/95 it was my last day of a 2 day trip. Flying with a captain and a first officer on my schedule. At XA10 we did a flight between bwi-dca. Before the passenger boarded, an agent came onto the plane, and stated that a passenger was drunk. The captain, first officer, and I, were standing at the boarding door. I said to the agent 'how bad is he?' she said he was pretty bad. Since bwi-dca was a short flight (approximately 30 mins) the captain told the agent to board him. I told the captain that I would see how bad he was, and if he was intoxicated, I wanted the passenger off, and stated that I didn't want to have any problems with this passenger. As the passenger boarded, I saw this particular passenger walking zig zag, towards the plane. There were 2 or 3 non revenue crewmembers that boarded last, and said to me 'are you letting that drunk passenger get on?' I told them that the captain said to let him on, since it was a short flight. On the dash 7 there are 2 rows behind the cockpit door, which are emergency exits. The captain called me in the back and said that the drunk passenger was sitting in the emergency exit, and asked me to move him to another seat. As I walked towards the front, a passenger stopped me and said 'are you really going to let that man on this plane?' the whole plane was aware of what was happening. As I got towards the front I could smell alcohol from his breath, at least 7 ft away. The passenger was in his seat, swaying back and forth, talking to himself. Before I approached him, I went to the cockpit and closed the door behind me and told the captain that this guy was in bad shape. He said get him out of the emergency exit. I walked out, turned around, and said to the passenger: 'sir you are seated in an emergency exit you will have to move to another seat.' his reply was 'what's this crap?' I turned around and told the captain that I wanted him off, that he should not be on this plane. The captain said, did you tell him to move? I said yes. My captain replied: 'I wanted to see how you would handle this.' I said, I want him off. My first officer asked the captain 'do you want me to go handle it?' he asked the captain 3 times before he replied, 'yes.' my first officer walked up to the passenger and spoke to him quietly and moved him to the seat behind and had to help him put his seatbelt on. The whole plane was aware of what was going on. I walked towards the back, and a pilot, who was non revenue, said 'who is your captain?' I told him. I said that I don't want this guy on here, I'm not a baby-sitter, and I didn't want him causing any problems. I shut the boarding door and made my announcements. I did my walk through and we departed. Since we were in the air only about 15 mins, I made an announcement for everyone to stay seated, with their seatbelt fastened. I looked up front and noticed the drunk passenger pushing the seat in front of him, which was occupied by a passenger. I walked up front and asked the passenger, whose seat was being pushed, if he wanted to move. He said 'no, that's ok.' I looked back, and the drunk passenger had his seatbelt off. I said 'sir' 'you have to keep your seatbelt on, we're about there.' he said 'I can't find it.' I said 'you're sitting on it.' he was so intoxicated he couldn't put it on, so I had to do it. A passenger approached me as he was deplaning and said 'maybe when you're here a little longer or have more experience you'll find that federal law states that you can refuse intoxicated passenger.' it was all, so unsafe! Even though the flight was short, that's no excuse. I feel that I had to talk to someone about this, so I spoke with a pilot who told me to write a letter to NASA. I believe it was wrong for the agent in bwi to even ask, and for my captain to let him on. I told my captain I wanted him off the plane except the captain has final word, right? If this happens in the future, how should it be handled?

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN INTOXICATED PAX WAS BOARDED ONTO A REGIONAL CARRIER FLT BY CGP. IN SPITE OF THE CABIN ATTENDANT'S REQUEST TO DEPLANE THE PAX, THE FLT DEPARTED WITH THE PAX ON BOARD.

Narrative: ON JAN/WED/95 IT WAS MY LAST DAY OF A 2 DAY TRIP. FLYING WITH A CAPT AND A FO ON MY SCHEDULE. AT XA10 WE DID A FLT BTWN BWI-DCA. BEFORE THE PAX BOARDED, AN AGENT CAME ONTO THE PLANE, AND STATED THAT A PAX WAS DRUNK. THE CAPT, FO, AND I, WERE STANDING AT THE BOARDING DOOR. I SAID TO THE AGENT 'HOW BAD IS HE?' SHE SAID HE WAS PRETTY BAD. SINCE BWI-DCA WAS A SHORT FLT (APPROX 30 MINS) THE CAPT TOLD THE AGENT TO BOARD HIM. I TOLD THE CAPT THAT I WOULD SEE HOW BAD HE WAS, AND IF HE WAS INTOXICATED, I WANTED THE PAX OFF, AND STATED THAT I DIDN'T WANT TO HAVE ANY PROBS WITH THIS PAX. AS THE PAX BOARDED, I SAW THIS PARTICULAR PAX WALKING ZIG ZAG, TOWARDS THE PLANE. THERE WERE 2 OR 3 NON REVENUE CREWMEMBERS THAT BOARDED LAST, AND SAID TO ME 'ARE YOU LETTING THAT DRUNK PAX GET ON?' I TOLD THEM THAT THE CAPT SAID TO LET HIM ON, SINCE IT WAS A SHORT FLT. ON THE DASH 7 THERE ARE 2 ROWS BEHIND THE COCKPIT DOOR, WHICH ARE EMER EXITS. THE CAPT CALLED ME IN THE BACK AND SAID THAT THE DRUNK PAX WAS SITTING IN THE EMER EXIT, AND ASKED ME TO MOVE HIM TO ANOTHER SEAT. AS I WALKED TOWARDS THE FRONT, A PAX STOPPED ME AND SAID 'ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO LET THAT MAN ON THIS PLANE?' THE WHOLE PLANE WAS AWARE OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING. AS I GOT TOWARDS THE FRONT I COULD SMELL ALCOHOL FROM HIS BREATH, AT LEAST 7 FT AWAY. THE PAX WAS IN HIS SEAT, SWAYING BACK AND FORTH, TALKING TO HIMSELF. BEFORE I APCHED HIM, I WENT TO THE COCKPIT AND CLOSED THE DOOR BEHIND ME AND TOLD THE CAPT THAT THIS GUY WAS IN BAD SHAPE. HE SAID GET HIM OUT OF THE EMER EXIT. I WALKED OUT, TURNED AROUND, AND SAID TO THE PAX: 'SIR YOU ARE SEATED IN AN EMER EXIT YOU WILL HAVE TO MOVE TO ANOTHER SEAT.' HIS REPLY WAS 'WHAT'S THIS CRAP?' I TURNED AROUND AND TOLD THE CAPT THAT I WANTED HIM OFF, THAT HE SHOULD NOT BE ON THIS PLANE. THE CAPT SAID, DID YOU TELL HIM TO MOVE? I SAID YES. MY CAPT REPLIED: 'I WANTED TO SEE HOW YOU WOULD HANDLE THIS.' I SAID, I WANT HIM OFF. MY FO ASKED THE CAPT 'DO YOU WANT ME TO GO HANDLE IT?' HE ASKED THE CAPT 3 TIMES BEFORE HE REPLIED, 'YES.' MY FO WALKED UP TO THE PAX AND SPOKE TO HIM QUIETLY AND MOVED HIM TO THE SEAT BEHIND AND HAD TO HELP HIM PUT HIS SEATBELT ON. THE WHOLE PLANE WAS AWARE OF WHAT WAS GOING ON. I WALKED TOWARDS THE BACK, AND A PLT, WHO WAS NON REVENUE, SAID 'WHO IS YOUR CAPT?' I TOLD HIM. I SAID THAT I DON'T WANT THIS GUY ON HERE, I'M NOT A BABY-SITTER, AND I DIDN'T WANT HIM CAUSING ANY PROBS. I SHUT THE BOARDING DOOR AND MADE MY ANNOUNCEMENTS. I DID MY WALK THROUGH AND WE DEPARTED. SINCE WE WERE IN THE AIR ONLY ABOUT 15 MINS, I MADE AN ANNOUNCEMENT FOR EVERYONE TO STAY SEATED, WITH THEIR SEATBELT FASTENED. I LOOKED UP FRONT AND NOTICED THE DRUNK PAX PUSHING THE SEAT IN FRONT OF HIM, WHICH WAS OCCUPIED BY A PAX. I WALKED UP FRONT AND ASKED THE PAX, WHOSE SEAT WAS BEING PUSHED, IF HE WANTED TO MOVE. HE SAID 'NO, THAT'S OK.' I LOOKED BACK, AND THE DRUNK PAX HAD HIS SEATBELT OFF. I SAID 'SIR' 'YOU HAVE TO KEEP YOUR SEATBELT ON, WE'RE ABOUT THERE.' HE SAID 'I CAN'T FIND IT.' I SAID 'YOU'RE SITTING ON IT.' HE WAS SO INTOXICATED HE COULDN'T PUT IT ON, SO I HAD TO DO IT. A PAX APCHED ME AS HE WAS DEPLANING AND SAID 'MAYBE WHEN YOU'RE HERE A LITTLE LONGER OR HAVE MORE EXPERIENCE YOU'LL FIND THAT FEDERAL LAW STATES THAT YOU CAN REFUSE INTOXICATED PAX.' IT WAS ALL, SO UNSAFE! EVEN THOUGH THE FLT WAS SHORT, THAT'S NO EXCUSE. I FEEL THAT I HAD TO TALK TO SOMEONE ABOUT THIS, SO I SPOKE WITH A PLT WHO TOLD ME TO WRITE A LETTER TO NASA. I BELIEVE IT WAS WRONG FOR THE AGENT IN BWI TO EVEN ASK, AND FOR MY CAPT TO LET HIM ON. I TOLD MY CAPT I WANTED HIM OFF THE PLANE EXCEPT THE CAPT HAS FINAL WORD, RIGHT? IF THIS HAPPENS IN THE FUTURE, HOW SHOULD IT BE HANDLED?

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.