Narrative:

In sum: approximately 5 hours out of sfo to osaka, a japanese passenger became intoxicated and out of control. He became enraged when the flight attendants denied him more liquor. He demanded to see the captain to have him verify the flight attendants had that legal authority/authorized. The captain gave the chief purser his business card, stating that the passenger was to obey all directives of the cabin crew. The man flaunted his drinking from his own liquor supply. He became more belligerent and abusive. The captain directed the aft purser, who was japanese-language qualified, to reseat the man and his wife away from their liquor stash. The captain got in a physical scuffle with the man. It took the captain and 2 flight attendants to subdue him. The copilot was called to bring handcuffs. They moved him to an empty row near an emergency exit. For landing, the captain had the handcuffs removed and had the man guarded by 3 flight attendants and the copilot. The osaka police decided that no japanese regulations were violated, because the crew had been able to subdue the man. They asked for copies of the pages in the pilot's manual dealing with interference of in-flight duties and the captain's authority/authorized to use restraining force. Upon return to the united states, the captain requested a debriefing with the airline's chief pilot, their local representative and the pilot's union safety representative, requesting that the FAA be notified of the incident. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that, after subduing the man, he had to make a judgement call: whether to go back to anchorage (3 1/2 hours behind him) or go to the nearest city in japan, choosing the latter. The captain believes that the japanese police were not familiar in handling crew interference incidents on international flts. Since the incident, the reporter stated that he has been interrogated twice by the japanese police, but so far as he knows they have not pressed charges against the passenger.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT RPT, B747-400, SFO-KIX (OSAKA, JAPAN) INTOXICATED PAX INTERFERED WITH CREW'S DUTIES, ASSAULTED THE CAPT. DETAINED BY OSAKA POLICE.

Narrative: IN SUM: APPROX 5 HRS OUT OF SFO TO OSAKA, A JAPANESE PAX BECAME INTOXICATED AND OUT OF CTL. HE BECAME ENRAGED WHEN THE FLT ATTENDANTS DENIED HIM MORE LIQUOR. HE DEMANDED TO SEE THE CAPT TO HAVE HIM VERIFY THE FLT ATTENDANTS HAD THAT LEGAL AUTH. THE CAPT GAVE THE CHIEF PURSER HIS BUSINESS CARD, STATING THAT THE PAX WAS TO OBEY ALL DIRECTIVES OF THE CABIN CREW. THE MAN FLAUNTED HIS DRINKING FROM HIS OWN LIQUOR SUPPLY. HE BECAME MORE BELLIGERENT AND ABUSIVE. THE CAPT DIRECTED THE AFT PURSER, WHO WAS JAPANESE-LANGUAGE QUALIFIED, TO RESEAT THE MAN AND HIS WIFE AWAY FROM THEIR LIQUOR STASH. THE CAPT GOT IN A PHYSICAL SCUFFLE WITH THE MAN. IT TOOK THE CAPT AND 2 FLT ATTENDANTS TO SUBDUE HIM. THE COPLT WAS CALLED TO BRING HANDCUFFS. THEY MOVED HIM TO AN EMPTY ROW NEAR AN EMER EXIT. FOR LNDG, THE CAPT HAD THE HANDCUFFS REMOVED AND HAD THE MAN GUARDED BY 3 FLT ATTENDANTS AND THE COPLT. THE OSAKA POLICE DECIDED THAT NO JAPANESE REGS WERE VIOLATED, BECAUSE THE CREW HAD BEEN ABLE TO SUBDUE THE MAN. THEY ASKED FOR COPIES OF THE PAGES IN THE PLT'S MANUAL DEALING WITH INTERFERENCE OF INFLT DUTIES AND THE CAPT'S AUTH TO USE RESTRAINING FORCE. UPON RETURN TO THE UNITED STATES, THE CAPT REQUESTED A DEBRIEFING WITH THE AIRLINE'S CHIEF PLT, THEIR LCL REPRESENTATIVE AND THE PLT'S UNION SAFETY REPRESENTATIVE, REQUESTING THAT THE FAA BE NOTIFIED OF THE INCIDENT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT, AFTER SUBDUING THE MAN, HE HAD TO MAKE A JUDGEMENT CALL: WHETHER TO GO BACK TO ANCHORAGE (3 1/2 HRS BEHIND HIM) OR GO TO THE NEAREST CITY IN JAPAN, CHOOSING THE LATTER. THE CAPT BELIEVES THAT THE JAPANESE POLICE WERE NOT FAMILIAR IN HANDLING CREW INTERFERENCE INCIDENTS ON INTL FLTS. SINCE THE INCIDENT, THE RPTR STATED THAT HE HAS BEEN INTERROGATED TWICE BY THE JAPANESE POLICE, BUT SO FAR AS HE KNOWS THEY HAVE NOT PRESSED CHARGES AGAINST THE PAX.

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.