Narrative:

Approximately 2 hours into the flight, I was informed that we had some passenger who were creating a disturbance. The lead flight attendant informed me that she had talked to this group and to 1 passenger in particular. This group of approximately 18 people, including men, women and children, appeared to be traveling together and were sitting in the last 4-5 rows of the aircraft. She also informed me that several members of this group appeared intoxicated and that she had informed them that they would not be served additional alcohol. They were also allowing their young children to run in the aisles which interfered with the in-flight service. About 20 mins later I was notified that there were more problems with some members of this group including suspected us of their own alcohol and possibly smoking. At this time I left the cockpit to assess the situation. I spoke with several of the passenger in this group and to 1 man in particular. He appeared to be aggitated by the flight attendant's request for him to remain in his seat and to refrain from interferring with the service. As I talked to him he was respectful of me and indicated that he would settle down and cause no further problems. Some time later, a male flight attendant came to the cockpit and reported a confrontation with one of the passenger in this group. I returned to the cabin and tried to calm the situation, and I also explained the consequences of any further problems from this individual. Once again he assured me he would behave. However, the problems continued and I returned to the cabin several times over the next approximately 2 hours. At one time I talked with his wife and requested her assistance in keeping him under control. I also talked to his father who was sitting in the same row of seats and requested his assistance. Both people assured me of their cooperation. However, in the long run they were unable to be of much assistance and may have, in fact, been part of the problem for his behavior. There were several shouting matches between the offender and his wife and his father. At approximately 5 hours into the flight, a flight attendant called to inform me that a fight had broken out. I immediately returned to the cabin. When I reached the aft end of the aircraft I found the passenger under the physical control of 3 passenger who were preventing him from fighting with his father. Along with the help of these 3 passenger the offender was brought forward to the back of the business section where there were no passenger seated. The offender was seated and I informed him that he was to remain there for the rest of the flight. These 3 passenger idented themselves as members of the wrestling team. I asked them if they would remain seated with the offender and try to keep him in his seat and under control. They willingly agreed to this. Some time after returning to the cockpit I was once again called to the cabin. At this time the offender was in handcuffs which I had originally given to a flight attendant when I had gone down at the time of the fight. I do not know the exact circumstances why the offender was handcuffed. The offender was very aggitated because of the handcuffs and I again talked to him to calm him down. By talking to the wrestlers I asked if there was a real need for the handcuffs or if they could control the offender without the handcuffs. It appeared that their presence and their refusal to allow him to leave his seat was sufficient to keep the offender under control. At this time I removed the handcuffs. The wrestlers appeared to maintain a rapport with the offender for the remainder of the flight. I believe the decision to remove the offender from the back of the aircraft eliminated most of the problems for the remainder of the flight. Dispatch was alerted of our problems and we discussed diverting to a field short of minneapolis. We were approaching jarpik at this time and our flying time to minneapolis was approximately an hour longer than diverting. I felt we had good control of the offender since he had been removed to the business section seats. Minneapolis security had been alerted to meet the aircraft, and I felt it was safe to continue the fltto minneapolis.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PAX CAUSED DISTURBANCE ON ACFT. 1 PAX HAS TO BE RESTRAINED AFTER GETTING INTO AN ALTERCATION WITH ANOTHER PAX.

Narrative: APPROX 2 HRS INTO THE FLT, I WAS INFORMED THAT WE HAD SOME PAX WHO WERE CREATING A DISTURBANCE. THE LEAD FLT ATTENDANT INFORMED ME THAT SHE HAD TALKED TO THIS GROUP AND TO 1 PAX IN PARTICULAR. THIS GROUP OF APPROX 18 PEOPLE, INCLUDING MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN, APPEARED TO BE TRAVELING TOGETHER AND WERE SITTING IN THE LAST 4-5 ROWS OF THE ACFT. SHE ALSO INFORMED ME THAT SEVERAL MEMBERS OF THIS GROUP APPEARED INTOXICATED AND THAT SHE HAD INFORMED THEM THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE SERVED ADDITIONAL ALCOHOL. THEY WERE ALSO ALLOWING THEIR YOUNG CHILDREN TO RUN IN THE AISLES WHICH INTERFERED WITH THE INFLT SVC. ABOUT 20 MINS LATER I WAS NOTIFIED THAT THERE WERE MORE PROBS WITH SOME MEMBERS OF THIS GROUP INCLUDING SUSPECTED US OF THEIR OWN ALCOHOL AND POSSIBLY SMOKING. AT THIS TIME I LEFT THE COCKPIT TO ASSESS THE SIT. I SPOKE WITH SEVERAL OF THE PAX IN THIS GROUP AND TO 1 MAN IN PARTICULAR. HE APPEARED TO BE AGGITATED BY THE FLT ATTENDANT'S REQUEST FOR HIM TO REMAIN IN HIS SEAT AND TO REFRAIN FROM INTERFERRING WITH THE SVC. AS I TALKED TO HIM HE WAS RESPECTFUL OF ME AND INDICATED THAT HE WOULD SETTLE DOWN AND CAUSE NO FURTHER PROBS. SOME TIME LATER, A MALE FLT ATTENDANT CAME TO THE COCKPIT AND RPTED A CONFRONTATION WITH ONE OF THE PAX IN THIS GROUP. I RETURNED TO THE CABIN AND TRIED TO CALM THE SIT, AND I ALSO EXPLAINED THE CONSEQUENCES OF ANY FURTHER PROBS FROM THIS INDIVIDUAL. ONCE AGAIN HE ASSURED ME HE WOULD BEHAVE. HOWEVER, THE PROBS CONTINUED AND I RETURNED TO THE CABIN SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE NEXT APPROX 2 HRS. AT ONE TIME I TALKED WITH HIS WIFE AND REQUESTED HER ASSISTANCE IN KEEPING HIM UNDER CTL. I ALSO TALKED TO HIS FATHER WHO WAS SITTING IN THE SAME ROW OF SEATS AND REQUESTED HIS ASSISTANCE. BOTH PEOPLE ASSURED ME OF THEIR COOPERATION. HOWEVER, IN THE LONG RUN THEY WERE UNABLE TO BE OF MUCH ASSISTANCE AND MAY HAVE, IN FACT, BEEN PART OF THE PROB FOR HIS BEHAVIOR. THERE WERE SEVERAL SHOUTING MATCHES BTWN THE OFFENDER AND HIS WIFE AND HIS FATHER. AT APPROX 5 HRS INTO THE FLT, A FLT ATTENDANT CALLED TO INFORM ME THAT A FIGHT HAD BROKEN OUT. I IMMEDIATELY RETURNED TO THE CABIN. WHEN I REACHED THE AFT END OF THE ACFT I FOUND THE PAX UNDER THE PHYSICAL CTL OF 3 PAX WHO WERE PREVENTING HIM FROM FIGHTING WITH HIS FATHER. ALONG WITH THE HELP OF THESE 3 PAX THE OFFENDER WAS BROUGHT FORWARD TO THE BACK OF THE BUSINESS SECTION WHERE THERE WERE NO PAX SEATED. THE OFFENDER WAS SEATED AND I INFORMED HIM THAT HE WAS TO REMAIN THERE FOR THE REST OF THE FLT. THESE 3 PAX IDENTED THEMSELVES AS MEMBERS OF THE WRESTLING TEAM. I ASKED THEM IF THEY WOULD REMAIN SEATED WITH THE OFFENDER AND TRY TO KEEP HIM IN HIS SEAT AND UNDER CTL. THEY WILLINGLY AGREED TO THIS. SOME TIME AFTER RETURNING TO THE COCKPIT I WAS ONCE AGAIN CALLED TO THE CABIN. AT THIS TIME THE OFFENDER WAS IN HANDCUFFS WHICH I HAD ORIGINALLY GIVEN TO A FLT ATTENDANT WHEN I HAD GONE DOWN AT THE TIME OF THE FIGHT. I DO NOT KNOW THE EXACT CIRCUMSTANCES WHY THE OFFENDER WAS HANDCUFFED. THE OFFENDER WAS VERY AGGITATED BECAUSE OF THE HANDCUFFS AND I AGAIN TALKED TO HIM TO CALM HIM DOWN. BY TALKING TO THE WRESTLERS I ASKED IF THERE WAS A REAL NEED FOR THE HANDCUFFS OR IF THEY COULD CTL THE OFFENDER WITHOUT THE HANDCUFFS. IT APPEARED THAT THEIR PRESENCE AND THEIR REFUSAL TO ALLOW HIM TO LEAVE HIS SEAT WAS SUFFICIENT TO KEEP THE OFFENDER UNDER CTL. AT THIS TIME I REMOVED THE HANDCUFFS. THE WRESTLERS APPEARED TO MAINTAIN A RAPPORT WITH THE OFFENDER FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT. I BELIEVE THE DECISION TO REMOVE THE OFFENDER FROM THE BACK OF THE ACFT ELIMINATED MOST OF THE PROBS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT. DISPATCH WAS ALERTED OF OUR PROBS AND WE DISCUSSED DIVERTING TO A FIELD SHORT OF MINNEAPOLIS. WE WERE APCHING JARPIK AT THIS TIME AND OUR FLYING TIME TO MINNEAPOLIS WAS APPROX AN HR LONGER THAN DIVERTING. I FELT WE HAD GOOD CTL OF THE OFFENDER SINCE HE HAD BEEN REMOVED TO THE BUSINESS SECTION SEATS. MINNEAPOLIS SECURITY HAD BEEN ALERTED TO MEET THE ACFT, AND I FELT IT WAS SAFE TO CONTINUE THE FLTTO MINNEAPOLIS.

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.