Narrative:

We were unaware of this situation until several hours into the flight and we had started our meal service. Mr X had exposed himself and would not respond to flight attendant #2's command to 'put it away, zip it up.' because this passenger came aboard with his own bottle of brandy (asked his seat mate if he minded if he drank out of his own bottle, answer 'no'), and became totally inebriated, he was out of control. Mr X took his empty bottle and then threw his bag at her, hitting her in the chest. We reseated passenger who were sitting next to him. Finally got him to lie down and he fell asleep. If passenger around this man had alerted a flight attendant about this man's drinking or his initial bad behavior, we may have been able to stop or diffuse this situation before it progressed. Many passenger were unaware that drinking from one's own bottle is prohibited. There were several passenger who saw this, but said nothing. Perhaps some education on this rule would be beneficial. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that the man never did zip his pants up, but passed out with them unzipped. United states customs, immigration and the police entered the plane in boston to arrest the man, who was led off in handcuffs. The case has already gone to trial, and she said it turned out to be a 'travesty of justice.' the judge was so lenient that it amounted to a 'slap on the hand.' even though the man exposed himself, assaulted a flight attendant (by throwing a suitcase and hitting her in the chest), and drank out of his own bottle, and pleaded guilty, the judge had him send a letter of apology to the 2 flight attendants involved, fined him and let him go! She was really upset that the judge did not take this seriously and feels that these FARS have no teeth in them, if the judicial system just slaps the offender on the hand like this. She feels very strongly that the airlines don't make the fact that drinking out of one's own bottle on the airplane is a federal offense and that it should be more publicly displayed as such. She suggests that signs be posted at check-in counters, duty free shops, and on the back of the ticket wallets, expressing this as a federal offense. She said at parties with non flying friends, that most everyone is unaware that they can't drink from their own bottle. If the public was more informed, maybe other passenger would report it to the flight attendants when they see it happen in the cabin. Supplemental information from acn 453338: another flight attendant, seeing the bottle on the floor, was able to get it and took it to the aft galley. Passenger in row Y were moved. The problem passenger, looking for his bottle, then threw his carry-on bag at the flight attendant. He struck her in the chest. Captain was made aware. While waiting for the captain, the passenger urinated on the floor under row Z. He then got back to his seat and laid down with his legs in the aisle. As I was telling him to lay down in the seats (4 seats) he exposed himself to me. During the time we were moving our passenger, both myself and the other flight attendant were very calm, but very frightened of what he might do. He was a very large, very drunk man. I feel that this is a situation that should have been detected in lhr. Passenger asked the man next to him if he cared if he had a drink out of his own bottle. One woman even told us later that he had been masturbating while sitting in his seat. We were also told that he made some sort of disturbance in the boarding lounge.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT ATTENDANT RPT, A300, LHR-BOS, PAX DRANK OUT OF HIS OWN BOTTLE, ASSAULTED A FLT ATTENDANT, EXPOSED HIMSELF AND URINATED ON FLOOR, ARRESTED BY POLICE IN BOSTON AND FOUND GUILTY.

Narrative: WE WERE UNAWARE OF THIS SIT UNTIL SEVERAL HRS INTO THE FLT AND WE HAD STARTED OUR MEAL SVC. MR X HAD EXPOSED HIMSELF AND WOULD NOT RESPOND TO FLT ATTENDANT #2'S COMMAND TO 'PUT IT AWAY, ZIP IT UP.' BECAUSE THIS PAX CAME ABOARD WITH HIS OWN BOTTLE OF BRANDY (ASKED HIS SEAT MATE IF HE MINDED IF HE DRANK OUT OF HIS OWN BOTTLE, ANSWER 'NO'), AND BECAME TOTALLY INEBRIATED, HE WAS OUT OF CTL. MR X TOOK HIS EMPTY BOTTLE AND THEN THREW HIS BAG AT HER, HITTING HER IN THE CHEST. WE RESEATED PAX WHO WERE SITTING NEXT TO HIM. FINALLY GOT HIM TO LIE DOWN AND HE FELL ASLEEP. IF PAX AROUND THIS MAN HAD ALERTED A FLT ATTENDANT ABOUT THIS MAN'S DRINKING OR HIS INITIAL BAD BEHAVIOR, WE MAY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO STOP OR DIFFUSE THIS SIT BEFORE IT PROGRESSED. MANY PAX WERE UNAWARE THAT DRINKING FROM ONE'S OWN BOTTLE IS PROHIBITED. THERE WERE SEVERAL PAX WHO SAW THIS, BUT SAID NOTHING. PERHAPS SOME EDUCATION ON THIS RULE WOULD BE BENEFICIAL. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT THE MAN NEVER DID ZIP HIS PANTS UP, BUT PASSED OUT WITH THEM UNZIPPED. UNITED STATES CUSTOMS, IMMIGRATION AND THE POLICE ENTERED THE PLANE IN BOSTON TO ARREST THE MAN, WHO WAS LED OFF IN HANDCUFFS. THE CASE HAS ALREADY GONE TO TRIAL, AND SHE SAID IT TURNED OUT TO BE A 'TRAVESTY OF JUSTICE.' THE JUDGE WAS SO LENIENT THAT IT AMOUNTED TO A 'SLAP ON THE HAND.' EVEN THOUGH THE MAN EXPOSED HIMSELF, ASSAULTED A FLT ATTENDANT (BY THROWING A SUITCASE AND HITTING HER IN THE CHEST), AND DRANK OUT OF HIS OWN BOTTLE, AND PLEADED GUILTY, THE JUDGE HAD HIM SEND A LETTER OF APOLOGY TO THE 2 FLT ATTENDANTS INVOLVED, FINED HIM AND LET HIM GO! SHE WAS REALLY UPSET THAT THE JUDGE DID NOT TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY AND FEELS THAT THESE FARS HAVE NO TEETH IN THEM, IF THE JUDICIAL SYS JUST SLAPS THE OFFENDER ON THE HAND LIKE THIS. SHE FEELS VERY STRONGLY THAT THE AIRLINES DON'T MAKE THE FACT THAT DRINKING OUT OF ONE'S OWN BOTTLE ON THE AIRPLANE IS A FEDERAL OFFENSE AND THAT IT SHOULD BE MORE PUBLICLY DISPLAYED AS SUCH. SHE SUGGESTS THAT SIGNS BE POSTED AT CHK-IN COUNTERS, DUTY FREE SHOPS, AND ON THE BACK OF THE TICKET WALLETS, EXPRESSING THIS AS A FEDERAL OFFENSE. SHE SAID AT PARTIES WITH NON FLYING FRIENDS, THAT MOST EVERYONE IS UNAWARE THAT THEY CAN'T DRINK FROM THEIR OWN BOTTLE. IF THE PUBLIC WAS MORE INFORMED, MAYBE OTHER PAX WOULD RPT IT TO THE FLT ATTENDANTS WHEN THEY SEE IT HAPPEN IN THE CABIN. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 453338: ANOTHER FLT ATTENDANT, SEEING THE BOTTLE ON THE FLOOR, WAS ABLE TO GET IT AND TOOK IT TO THE AFT GALLEY. PAX IN ROW Y WERE MOVED. THE PROB PAX, LOOKING FOR HIS BOTTLE, THEN THREW HIS CARRY-ON BAG AT THE FLT ATTENDANT. HE STRUCK HER IN THE CHEST. CAPT WAS MADE AWARE. WHILE WAITING FOR THE CAPT, THE PAX URINATED ON THE FLOOR UNDER ROW Z. HE THEN GOT BACK TO HIS SEAT AND LAID DOWN WITH HIS LEGS IN THE AISLE. AS I WAS TELLING HIM TO LAY DOWN IN THE SEATS (4 SEATS) HE EXPOSED HIMSELF TO ME. DURING THE TIME WE WERE MOVING OUR PAX, BOTH MYSELF AND THE OTHER FLT ATTENDANT WERE VERY CALM, BUT VERY FRIGHTENED OF WHAT HE MIGHT DO. HE WAS A VERY LARGE, VERY DRUNK MAN. I FEEL THAT THIS IS A SIT THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DETECTED IN LHR. PAX ASKED THE MAN NEXT TO HIM IF HE CARED IF HE HAD A DRINK OUT OF HIS OWN BOTTLE. ONE WOMAN EVEN TOLD US LATER THAT HE HAD BEEN MASTURBATING WHILE SITTING IN HIS SEAT. WE WERE ALSO TOLD THAT HE MADE SOME SORT OF DISTURBANCE IN THE BOARDING LOUNGE.

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.