Narrative:

During preflight preparations, a properly idented employee of the department of justice presented herself to me in the cockpit to identify herself as an armed passenger. She expressed some apprehension about the flight because of (innocuous) comments made by the gate agent about extra fuel we were taking on board for the longer than normal flight, due to unusually strong headwinds. I assured her that there was nothing to be concerned about. After she left the cockpit, my first officer, who had had a better view of her face than I had, expressed concern to me. The armed passenger had tears streaming down her face, had a lower lip which was quivering, and was physically shaking -- all obviously because of her fear of flying. I had her brought back to the cockpit, where I told her I had serious reservations about carrying an armed passenger who wasn't in complete control of herself. She said that her traveling companion had arrived, and that had a calming effect, and that she would be ok. Since she did appear to have calmed down at least some, we departed with her aboard. During the flight, the lead flight attendant commented more than once that our armed passenger, while calmer than at the beginning, was still obviously nervous. If confronted with similar circumstances in the future, I will not carry an armed passenger who is not in full control of him/herself. I am pursuing through other channels to find out why it is that a federal agency allows such a person to carry a weapon.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN A319 CAPT RPTED A VERY UNUSUAL CIRCUMSTANCE IN WHICH A DEPT OF JUSTICE EMPLOYEE PRESENTED HERSELF AS AN ARMED PAX, BUT APPEARED FEARFUL AND CRYING. THE CAPT IS PURSUING THE REASON WHY A FEDERAL AGENCY WOULD ALLOW SUCH A PERSON TO CARRY A WEAPON.

Narrative: DURING PREFLT PREPARATIONS, A PROPERLY IDENTED EMPLOYEE OF THE DEPT OF JUSTICE PRESENTED HERSELF TO ME IN THE COCKPIT TO IDENT HERSELF AS AN ARMED PAX. SHE EXPRESSED SOME APPREHENSION ABOUT THE FLT BECAUSE OF (INNOCUOUS) COMMENTS MADE BY THE GATE AGENT ABOUT EXTRA FUEL WE WERE TAKING ON BOARD FOR THE LONGER THAN NORMAL FLT, DUE TO UNUSUALLY STRONG HEADWINDS. I ASSURED HER THAT THERE WAS NOTHING TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT. AFTER SHE LEFT THE COCKPIT, MY FO, WHO HAD HAD A BETTER VIEW OF HER FACE THAN I HAD, EXPRESSED CONCERN TO ME. THE ARMED PAX HAD TEARS STREAMING DOWN HER FACE, HAD A LOWER LIP WHICH WAS QUIVERING, AND WAS PHYSICALLY SHAKING -- ALL OBVIOUSLY BECAUSE OF HER FEAR OF FLYING. I HAD HER BROUGHT BACK TO THE COCKPIT, WHERE I TOLD HER I HAD SERIOUS RESERVATIONS ABOUT CARRYING AN ARMED PAX WHO WASN'T IN COMPLETE CTL OF HERSELF. SHE SAID THAT HER TRAVELING COMPANION HAD ARRIVED, AND THAT HAD A CALMING EFFECT, AND THAT SHE WOULD BE OK. SINCE SHE DID APPEAR TO HAVE CALMED DOWN AT LEAST SOME, WE DEPARTED WITH HER ABOARD. DURING THE FLT, THE LEAD FLT ATTENDANT COMMENTED MORE THAN ONCE THAT OUR ARMED PAX, WHILE CALMER THAN AT THE BEGINNING, WAS STILL OBVIOUSLY NERVOUS. IF CONFRONTED WITH SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCES IN THE FUTURE, I WILL NOT CARRY AN ARMED PAX WHO IS NOT IN FULL CTL OF HIM/HERSELF. I AM PURSUING THROUGH OTHER CHANNELS TO FIND OUT WHY IT IS THAT A FEDERAL AGENCY ALLOWS SUCH A PERSON TO CARRY A WEAPON.

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.