Narrative:

We had been flying the all nighter to bos and had started the final descent from 9000 ft to 3000 ft on vectors to the ILS runway 33L. The captain was flying on the autoplt and he had just told me to seat the flight attendants. As we passed 8000 ft, I was extending the final approach segment on the FMC when ATC gave us a heading of 150 degree. I acknowledged but noticed that the captain was not turning the heading knob. I repeated the heading change to him several times and he started to reach for the airspeed knob. I cautioned him and pointed the correct knob. Not being sure of his actions, I asked him if he was ok and called his name out loud. ATC called with a heading of 160 degrees and I continued to raise my voice to him when he suddenly turned and started shaking all over, his face started twisting, and he started screaming. As he turned, he started pushing on the right rudder and leaning on the yoke. I quickly started to counter his inputs as the autoplt disconnected. I quickly called the first flight attendant on the interphone and told her to come up immediately. When she came in, I was still wrestling the controls. I told her to take the captain out of his seat. When she started to pull him off the controls, he suddenly went limp, but with his leg still pushing on the right rudder. The flight attendant then turned around, opened the door and called for a doctor sitting in first class. The doctor came up and started to help her move the captain out of his seat. By this time a second doctor had come up and a second flight attendant had brought up the oxygen. In the mean time I had declared an emergency, requested emergency equipment and ambulance, and requested to turn towards final and enter an orbit on the localizer at 5000 ft. ATC cleared me to intercept the localizer and to hold at cohen. After they removed the captain from his seat, I was able to re-engage the autoplt and continue the descent. I started to slow the airplane and work myself towards the localizer. By then the captain had awakened and was fighting the doctor and the flight attendant to get back up. He started kicking the yoke and was screaming. I had now descended to 4700 ft, so I told ATC I would continue the descent to 4000 ft. I asked the flight attendant if they had secured the captain and she said yes. I asked her if she knew if we had any flight crew on board but she did not know. She offered to make a PA announcement, but I told her no. By now we were approaching cohen. Instead of starting the holding turn, I told ATC I wanted to start the approach. They cleared me for the approach but told me I was high (approximately 1000 ft high, 9 mi on final). I disconnected the autoplt, configured the airplane, and descended to intercept the GS. I intercepted around hullz (the OM) and broke out of the clouds shortly after that. I continued visually and followed the vasis to normal a normal landing and a full stop on the runway. I had initially intended to steer the airplane onto the high speed, but I did not feel I had enough steering so I stopped the airplane and set the parking brakes. I called out to the flight attendants that I was switching seats. I also switched to tower and told them of the seat change. After the seat change, I called for taxi clearance and started for gate X. Since I wasn't sure if that was where the emergency crew was, I wanted to check with air carrier ramp. I had left my ear piece in the right seat, so I turned up the speaker and was trying to use the captain's minitell. I was quickly running out of hands, so I asked the flight attendant to help me with the radios. Unfortunately she was not sure of what to do and I did not want to spend time pointing to the controls while trying to taxi for the first time. In the meantime we were able to get a call to the ramp and I got their response confirming the gate from the flight attendant's speaker. The taxi in was uneventful. At the gate I shut down the right engine and called ramp for ground power since the APU was inoperative. The paramedics boarded the airplane and started attending to the captain while the passenger were deplaned. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the incapacitated captain is 57 yrs old. The diagnosis was a malignant brain tumor. There has been an operation followed by chemotherapy in the ensuing 3 months. The captain's back was broken when he was removed from his seat. The captain was spitting blood and foaming at the mouth while being held down. The captain did not damage the aircraft or hurt the flight attendants or doctors while thrashing on the floor. 'There just weren't enough hands to hold him down.' the captain has a very positive attitude about his chances of recovery. His air carrier will be making a training video involving the reporter and the flight attendants as all previous discussions regarding pilot incapacitation expect the crewperson to fade away, not become violent.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT INCAPACITATION.

Narrative: WE HAD BEEN FLYING THE ALL NIGHTER TO BOS AND HAD STARTED THE FINAL DSCNT FROM 9000 FT TO 3000 FT ON VECTORS TO THE ILS RWY 33L. THE CAPT WAS FLYING ON THE AUTOPLT AND HE HAD JUST TOLD ME TO SEAT THE FLT ATTENDANTS. AS WE PASSED 8000 FT, I WAS EXTENDING THE FINAL APCH SEGMENT ON THE FMC WHEN ATC GAVE US A HDG OF 150 DEG. I ACKNOWLEDGED BUT NOTICED THAT THE CAPT WAS NOT TURNING THE HDG KNOB. I REPEATED THE HDG CHANGE TO HIM SEVERAL TIMES AND HE STARTED TO REACH FOR THE AIRSPD KNOB. I CAUTIONED HIM AND POINTED THE CORRECT KNOB. NOT BEING SURE OF HIS ACTIONS, I ASKED HIM IF HE WAS OK AND CALLED HIS NAME OUT LOUD. ATC CALLED WITH A HDG OF 160 DEGS AND I CONTINUED TO RAISE MY VOICE TO HIM WHEN HE SUDDENLY TURNED AND STARTED SHAKING ALL OVER, HIS FACE STARTED TWISTING, AND HE STARTED SCREAMING. AS HE TURNED, HE STARTED PUSHING ON THE R RUDDER AND LEANING ON THE YOKE. I QUICKLY STARTED TO COUNTER HIS INPUTS AS THE AUTOPLT DISCONNECTED. I QUICKLY CALLED THE FIRST FLT ATTENDANT ON THE INTERPHONE AND TOLD HER TO COME UP IMMEDIATELY. WHEN SHE CAME IN, I WAS STILL WRESTLING THE CTLS. I TOLD HER TO TAKE THE CAPT OUT OF HIS SEAT. WHEN SHE STARTED TO PULL HIM OFF THE CTLS, HE SUDDENLY WENT LIMP, BUT WITH HIS LEG STILL PUSHING ON THE R RUDDER. THE FLT ATTENDANT THEN TURNED AROUND, OPENED THE DOOR AND CALLED FOR A DOCTOR SITTING IN FIRST CLASS. THE DOCTOR CAME UP AND STARTED TO HELP HER MOVE THE CAPT OUT OF HIS SEAT. BY THIS TIME A SECOND DOCTOR HAD COME UP AND A SECOND FLT ATTENDANT HAD BROUGHT UP THE OXYGEN. IN THE MEAN TIME I HAD DECLARED AN EMER, REQUESTED EMER EQUIP AND AMBULANCE, AND REQUESTED TO TURN TOWARDS FINAL AND ENTER AN ORBIT ON THE LOC AT 5000 FT. ATC CLRED ME TO INTERCEPT THE LOC AND TO HOLD AT COHEN. AFTER THEY REMOVED THE CAPT FROM HIS SEAT, I WAS ABLE TO RE-ENGAGE THE AUTOPLT AND CONTINUE THE DSCNT. I STARTED TO SLOW THE AIRPLANE AND WORK MYSELF TOWARDS THE LOC. BY THEN THE CAPT HAD AWAKENED AND WAS FIGHTING THE DOCTOR AND THE FLT ATTENDANT TO GET BACK UP. HE STARTED KICKING THE YOKE AND WAS SCREAMING. I HAD NOW DSNDED TO 4700 FT, SO I TOLD ATC I WOULD CONTINUE THE DSCNT TO 4000 FT. I ASKED THE FLT ATTENDANT IF THEY HAD SECURED THE CAPT AND SHE SAID YES. I ASKED HER IF SHE KNEW IF WE HAD ANY FLC ON BOARD BUT SHE DID NOT KNOW. SHE OFFERED TO MAKE A PA ANNOUNCEMENT, BUT I TOLD HER NO. BY NOW WE WERE APCHING COHEN. INSTEAD OF STARTING THE HOLDING TURN, I TOLD ATC I WANTED TO START THE APCH. THEY CLRED ME FOR THE APCH BUT TOLD ME I WAS HIGH (APPROX 1000 FT HIGH, 9 MI ON FINAL). I DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPLT, CONFIGURED THE AIRPLANE, AND DSNDED TO INTERCEPT THE GS. I INTERCEPTED AROUND HULLZ (THE OM) AND BROKE OUT OF THE CLOUDS SHORTLY AFTER THAT. I CONTINUED VISUALLY AND FOLLOWED THE VASIS TO NORMAL A NORMAL LNDG AND A FULL STOP ON THE RWY. I HAD INITIALLY INTENDED TO STEER THE AIRPLANE ONTO THE HIGH SPD, BUT I DID NOT FEEL I HAD ENOUGH STEERING SO I STOPPED THE AIRPLANE AND SET THE PARKING BRAKES. I CALLED OUT TO THE FLT ATTENDANTS THAT I WAS SWITCHING SEATS. I ALSO SWITCHED TO TWR AND TOLD THEM OF THE SEAT CHANGE. AFTER THE SEAT CHANGE, I CALLED FOR TAXI CLRNC AND STARTED FOR GATE X. SINCE I WASN'T SURE IF THAT WAS WHERE THE EMER CREW WAS, I WANTED TO CHK WITH ACR RAMP. I HAD LEFT MY EAR PIECE IN THE R SEAT, SO I TURNED UP THE SPEAKER AND WAS TRYING TO USE THE CAPT'S MINITELL. I WAS QUICKLY RUNNING OUT OF HANDS, SO I ASKED THE FLT ATTENDANT TO HELP ME WITH THE RADIOS. UNFORTUNATELY SHE WAS NOT SURE OF WHAT TO DO AND I DID NOT WANT TO SPEND TIME POINTING TO THE CTLS WHILE TRYING TO TAXI FOR THE FIRST TIME. IN THE MEANTIME WE WERE ABLE TO GET A CALL TO THE RAMP AND I GOT THEIR RESPONSE CONFIRMING THE GATE FROM THE FLT ATTENDANT'S SPEAKER. THE TAXI IN WAS UNEVENTFUL. AT THE GATE I SHUT DOWN THE R ENG AND CALLED RAMP FOR GND PWR SINCE THE APU WAS INOP. THE PARAMEDICS BOARDED THE AIRPLANE AND STARTED ATTENDING TO THE CAPT WHILE THE PAX WERE DEPLANED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE INCAPACITATED CAPT IS 57 YRS OLD. THE DIAGNOSIS WAS A MALIGNANT BRAIN TUMOR. THERE HAS BEEN AN OP FOLLOWED BY CHEMOTHERAPY IN THE ENSUING 3 MONTHS. THE CAPT'S BACK WAS BROKEN WHEN HE WAS REMOVED FROM HIS SEAT. THE CAPT WAS SPITTING BLOOD AND FOAMING AT THE MOUTH WHILE BEING HELD DOWN. THE CAPT DID NOT DAMAGE THE ACFT OR HURT THE FLT ATTENDANTS OR DOCTORS WHILE THRASHING ON THE FLOOR. 'THERE JUST WEREN'T ENOUGH HANDS TO HOLD HIM DOWN.' THE CAPT HAS A VERY POSITIVE ATTITUDE ABOUT HIS CHANCES OF RECOVERY. HIS ACR WILL BE MAKING A TRAINING VIDEO INVOLVING THE RPTR AND THE FLT ATTENDANTS AS ALL PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS REGARDING PLT INCAPACITATION EXPECT THE CREWPERSON TO FADE AWAY, NOT BECOME VIOLENT.

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.