Narrative:

Approximately 1 hour into our flight, all 3 flight attendants reported to me that a passenger was acting peculiarly. According to the flight attendants, the passenger claimed another passenger showed him a knife and threatened to stabilizer him and that the passenger was apparently having a conversation with someone in the cabin who wasn't there. I questioned the flight attendants as to whether anyone else had seen a knife and they said no. The flight attendants told me that they thought the passenger with a knife was probably a hallucination. One of the flight attendants suggested that she move the passenger to the last row of the aircraft because there were empty seats. I told her that I thought that was a good idea and to keep me informed of the situation. At some point, after the passenger was moved to the rear of the aircraft, this flight attendant reported to me that he was becoming more agitated and was starting to get loud. Apparently the passenger was continuing to hallucinate and it was reported to me that the passenger was beginning to disturb the surrounding passenger and that his actions were beginning to frighten the flight attendants. I was then informed that one of the flight attendants had asked a service man in uniform to situation near this individual, in case he tried to do something threatening. Apparently, the service man was a big help keeping the passenger in his seat and the flight attendants kept watch over this passenger, too. Eventually, however, the flight attendant informed me that the passenger was loudly claiming to see some people lying on the floor in the aisle dead and bloody. Apparently, the passenger also claimed the airplane was going to catch fire and all the passenger would die. It was reported to me that the passenger wanted to leave the aircraft and that he wanted to speak to the captain. Pursuant to the fom, I did not leave the cockpit to get directly involved with the passenger. The whole time this was going on, I kept the dispatcher informed of what was happening. I assessed the situation from the reports of the flight attendants and the first officer, and I discussed scenarios of what could possibly happen. The first officer, dispatcher and I mutually decided a diversion to kansas city would be the safest course of action to take. Clearance to the kansas city airport was received and the auths were summoned. The landing in kansas city was normal. I was then informed, as we were taxiing in, that the passenger was attempting to get out of his seat with the intention of leaving the aircraft through the rear doors. We arrived at the gate and the police met us. They met the disruptive passenger and removed him from the aircraft without further incident. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that they were going from sfo to clt and diverted to kansas city to take the passenger off. When the police and paramedics showed up, the man become ecstatic, as if he was relieved to have help from his pseudo knife-wielding attacker. Since it was a night flight, most of the passenger were asleep and unaware of what was taking place. The captain said that the flight attendants told him that the man had consumed no liquor.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT RPT, A319, SFO-CLT. PAX HALLUCINATING AND PARANOID. DIVERT TO MCI TO REMOVE PAX BY POLICE AND PARAMEDICS. TAKEN TO HOSPITAL.

Narrative: APPROX 1 HR INTO OUR FLT, ALL 3 FLT ATTENDANTS RPTED TO ME THAT A PAX WAS ACTING PECULIARLY. ACCORDING TO THE FLT ATTENDANTS, THE PAX CLAIMED ANOTHER PAX SHOWED HIM A KNIFE AND THREATENED TO STAB HIM AND THAT THE PAX WAS APPARENTLY HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH SOMEONE IN THE CABIN WHO WASN'T THERE. I QUESTIONED THE FLT ATTENDANTS AS TO WHETHER ANYONE ELSE HAD SEEN A KNIFE AND THEY SAID NO. THE FLT ATTENDANTS TOLD ME THAT THEY THOUGHT THE PAX WITH A KNIFE WAS PROBABLY A HALLUCINATION. ONE OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS SUGGESTED THAT SHE MOVE THE PAX TO THE LAST ROW OF THE ACFT BECAUSE THERE WERE EMPTY SEATS. I TOLD HER THAT I THOUGHT THAT WAS A GOOD IDEA AND TO KEEP ME INFORMED OF THE SIT. AT SOME POINT, AFTER THE PAX WAS MOVED TO THE REAR OF THE ACFT, THIS FLT ATTENDANT RPTED TO ME THAT HE WAS BECOMING MORE AGITATED AND WAS STARTING TO GET LOUD. APPARENTLY THE PAX WAS CONTINUING TO HALLUCINATE AND IT WAS RPTED TO ME THAT THE PAX WAS BEGINNING TO DISTURB THE SURROUNDING PAX AND THAT HIS ACTIONS WERE BEGINNING TO FRIGHTEN THE FLT ATTENDANTS. I WAS THEN INFORMED THAT ONE OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS HAD ASKED A SVC MAN IN UNIFORM TO SIT NEAR THIS INDIVIDUAL, IN CASE HE TRIED TO DO SOMETHING THREATENING. APPARENTLY, THE SVC MAN WAS A BIG HELP KEEPING THE PAX IN HIS SEAT AND THE FLT ATTENDANTS KEPT WATCH OVER THIS PAX, TOO. EVENTUALLY, HOWEVER, THE FLT ATTENDANT INFORMED ME THAT THE PAX WAS LOUDLY CLAIMING TO SEE SOME PEOPLE LYING ON THE FLOOR IN THE AISLE DEAD AND BLOODY. APPARENTLY, THE PAX ALSO CLAIMED THE AIRPLANE WAS GOING TO CATCH FIRE AND ALL THE PAX WOULD DIE. IT WAS RPTED TO ME THAT THE PAX WANTED TO LEAVE THE ACFT AND THAT HE WANTED TO SPEAK TO THE CAPT. PURSUANT TO THE FOM, I DID NOT LEAVE THE COCKPIT TO GET DIRECTLY INVOLVED WITH THE PAX. THE WHOLE TIME THIS WAS GOING ON, I KEPT THE DISPATCHER INFORMED OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING. I ASSESSED THE SIT FROM THE RPTS OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS AND THE FO, AND I DISCUSSED SCENARIOS OF WHAT COULD POSSIBLY HAPPEN. THE FO, DISPATCHER AND I MUTUALLY DECIDED A DIVERSION TO KANSAS CITY WOULD BE THE SAFEST COURSE OF ACTION TO TAKE. CLRNC TO THE KANSAS CITY ARPT WAS RECEIVED AND THE AUTHS WERE SUMMONED. THE LNDG IN KANSAS CITY WAS NORMAL. I WAS THEN INFORMED, AS WE WERE TAXIING IN, THAT THE PAX WAS ATTEMPTING TO GET OUT OF HIS SEAT WITH THE INTENTION OF LEAVING THE ACFT THROUGH THE REAR DOORS. WE ARRIVED AT THE GATE AND THE POLICE MET US. THEY MET THE DISRUPTIVE PAX AND REMOVED HIM FROM THE ACFT WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT THEY WERE GOING FROM SFO TO CLT AND DIVERTED TO KANSAS CITY TO TAKE THE PAX OFF. WHEN THE POLICE AND PARAMEDICS SHOWED UP, THE MAN BECOME ECSTATIC, AS IF HE WAS RELIEVED TO HAVE HELP FROM HIS PSEUDO KNIFE-WIELDING ATTACKER. SINCE IT WAS A NIGHT FLT, MOST OF THE PAX WERE ASLEEP AND UNAWARE OF WHAT WAS TAKING PLACE. THE CAPT SAID THAT THE FLT ATTENDANTS TOLD HIM THAT THE MAN HAD CONSUMED NO LIQUOR.

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.