Narrative:

Flight X from dfw to mci on sep/xa/99. I was working #4 and assisting in first class during boarding. A man in a yellow t-shirt boarded and was pushing past the passenger in the aisle repeating, 'excuse me.' #1 flight attendant said to me, 'he doesn't have a boarding card...security is on the way...stay with him.' when he got to the first class divider area, he stopped and said, 'where's first class?' I said, 'it's right this way...come with me and I'll show you.' I was planning on trying to get him off the airplane. He repeated the question and I repeated my answer. He continued toward the back of the plane pushing around people who were in his way and repeating, 'excuse me.' when we got to the aft door with stairs, he put his hand on the door handle and began to open the door. I said, 'don't touch that.' he ignored me and continued to open the door. I put my hands on the door handle to try to prevent him from opening it. I was unsure whether the stairs were up or down at this point. He pushed me out of the way and fully rotated the door handle to the open position. I put my foot in front of the door to prevent him from opening it. At the same time, I picked up the interphone and rang 4 chimes to the cockpit. I could hear #2 flight attendant saying, 'he's trying to open the door.' I said, 'I need help back here. Get security immediately.' the response was, 'we hear you.' the man continued trying to open the door. When he realized that it was my foot that was preventing him, he began pushing and shoving me out of his way. I heard a male passenger say, 'I'm in the military...do you need help?' I said, 'yes.' he and several other male passenger were able to break his grip on the door handle and pin him to the floor after a bit of a struggle. He was held on the floor. He said, 'I give up.' security arrived almost immediately, and the police came shortly after them. The man was handcuffed using plastic strips. His glasses had fallen off during the struggle and while he was being pinned down, he looked at me and said, 'would you get my glasses?' this was the first sign of coherency that he had exhibited. I told him that I had his glasses (I gave them to one of the security personnel). The police wanted to take him up the aisle and off the plane. The captain, who was at this point in the back of the plane with us, said that he did not want the man taken past the passenger. He asked me to lower the aft stairs (they had been up, as it turned out). I lowered the stairs and the man was taken off by security and the police. I went to the front of the plane to get some air. I began to shake and to hyperventilate. The agents started to continue boarding passenger, and I was unable to stop shaking and hyperventilating. Flight attendant asked me if I thought I should work the flight. I was beginning to feel dizzy and lightheaded, so I said that I thought that I probably should not. He called the mod and a standby was called out to replace me. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that he didn't know if the man was trying to hijack the airplane. He thought he either was on drugs or mentally deranged, or both. He isn't sure if the fbi or FAA got involved, because no one ever told him. Police and security met the flight and took him off. The reporter said at least 3 passenger helped subdue the man until security arrived 2 mins later. The reporter was physically shaken by the incident and needed some time off at least for that day. He felt that he should fly as soon as possible to get over his fear of helplessness. He'd never seen anything like this in 16 yrs of flying.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT ATTENDANT RPT, B727, DFW-MCI, DERANGED PAX TRIED OPENING AFT EXIT DOOR ON GND AND WAS SUBDUED BY OTHER PAX AND TAKEN OFF BY SECURITY. EMOTIONAL TRAUMA.

Narrative: FLT X FROM DFW TO MCI ON SEP/XA/99. I WAS WORKING #4 AND ASSISTING IN FIRST CLASS DURING BOARDING. A MAN IN A YELLOW T-SHIRT BOARDED AND WAS PUSHING PAST THE PAX IN THE AISLE REPEATING, 'EXCUSE ME.' #1 FLT ATTENDANT SAID TO ME, 'HE DOESN'T HAVE A BOARDING CARD...SECURITY IS ON THE WAY...STAY WITH HIM.' WHEN HE GOT TO THE FIRST CLASS DIVIDER AREA, HE STOPPED AND SAID, 'WHERE'S FIRST CLASS?' I SAID, 'IT'S RIGHT THIS WAY...COME WITH ME AND I'LL SHOW YOU.' I WAS PLANNING ON TRYING TO GET HIM OFF THE AIRPLANE. HE REPEATED THE QUESTION AND I REPEATED MY ANSWER. HE CONTINUED TOWARD THE BACK OF THE PLANE PUSHING AROUND PEOPLE WHO WERE IN HIS WAY AND REPEATING, 'EXCUSE ME.' WHEN WE GOT TO THE AFT DOOR WITH STAIRS, HE PUT HIS HAND ON THE DOOR HANDLE AND BEGAN TO OPEN THE DOOR. I SAID, 'DON'T TOUCH THAT.' HE IGNORED ME AND CONTINUED TO OPEN THE DOOR. I PUT MY HANDS ON THE DOOR HANDLE TO TRY TO PREVENT HIM FROM OPENING IT. I WAS UNSURE WHETHER THE STAIRS WERE UP OR DOWN AT THIS POINT. HE PUSHED ME OUT OF THE WAY AND FULLY ROTATED THE DOOR HANDLE TO THE OPEN POS. I PUT MY FOOT IN FRONT OF THE DOOR TO PREVENT HIM FROM OPENING IT. AT THE SAME TIME, I PICKED UP THE INTERPHONE AND RANG 4 CHIMES TO THE COCKPIT. I COULD HEAR #2 FLT ATTENDANT SAYING, 'HE'S TRYING TO OPEN THE DOOR.' I SAID, 'I NEED HELP BACK HERE. GET SECURITY IMMEDIATELY.' THE RESPONSE WAS, 'WE HEAR YOU.' THE MAN CONTINUED TRYING TO OPEN THE DOOR. WHEN HE REALIZED THAT IT WAS MY FOOT THAT WAS PREVENTING HIM, HE BEGAN PUSHING AND SHOVING ME OUT OF HIS WAY. I HEARD A MALE PAX SAY, 'I'M IN THE MIL...DO YOU NEED HELP?' I SAID, 'YES.' HE AND SEVERAL OTHER MALE PAX WERE ABLE TO BREAK HIS GRIP ON THE DOOR HANDLE AND PIN HIM TO THE FLOOR AFTER A BIT OF A STRUGGLE. HE WAS HELD ON THE FLOOR. HE SAID, 'I GIVE UP.' SECURITY ARRIVED ALMOST IMMEDIATELY, AND THE POLICE CAME SHORTLY AFTER THEM. THE MAN WAS HANDCUFFED USING PLASTIC STRIPS. HIS GLASSES HAD FALLEN OFF DURING THE STRUGGLE AND WHILE HE WAS BEING PINNED DOWN, HE LOOKED AT ME AND SAID, 'WOULD YOU GET MY GLASSES?' THIS WAS THE FIRST SIGN OF COHERENCY THAT HE HAD EXHIBITED. I TOLD HIM THAT I HAD HIS GLASSES (I GAVE THEM TO ONE OF THE SECURITY PERSONNEL). THE POLICE WANTED TO TAKE HIM UP THE AISLE AND OFF THE PLANE. THE CAPT, WHO WAS AT THIS POINT IN THE BACK OF THE PLANE WITH US, SAID THAT HE DID NOT WANT THE MAN TAKEN PAST THE PAX. HE ASKED ME TO LOWER THE AFT STAIRS (THEY HAD BEEN UP, AS IT TURNED OUT). I LOWERED THE STAIRS AND THE MAN WAS TAKEN OFF BY SECURITY AND THE POLICE. I WENT TO THE FRONT OF THE PLANE TO GET SOME AIR. I BEGAN TO SHAKE AND TO HYPERVENTILATE. THE AGENTS STARTED TO CONTINUE BOARDING PAX, AND I WAS UNABLE TO STOP SHAKING AND HYPERVENTILATING. FLT ATTENDANT ASKED ME IF I THOUGHT I SHOULD WORK THE FLT. I WAS BEGINNING TO FEEL DIZZY AND LIGHTHEADED, SO I SAID THAT I THOUGHT THAT I PROBABLY SHOULD NOT. HE CALLED THE MOD AND A STANDBY WAS CALLED OUT TO REPLACE ME. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT HE DIDN'T KNOW IF THE MAN WAS TRYING TO HIJACK THE AIRPLANE. HE THOUGHT HE EITHER WAS ON DRUGS OR MENTALLY DERANGED, OR BOTH. HE ISN'T SURE IF THE FBI OR FAA GOT INVOLVED, BECAUSE NO ONE EVER TOLD HIM. POLICE AND SECURITY MET THE FLT AND TOOK HIM OFF. THE RPTR SAID AT LEAST 3 PAX HELPED SUBDUE THE MAN UNTIL SECURITY ARRIVED 2 MINS LATER. THE RPTR WAS PHYSICALLY SHAKEN BY THE INCIDENT AND NEEDED SOME TIME OFF AT LEAST FOR THAT DAY. HE FELT THAT HE SHOULD FLY ASAP TO GET OVER HIS FEAR OF HELPLESSNESS. HE'D NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS IN 16 YRS OF FLYING.

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.