Narrative:

On may/xa/00, flight X lax-sfo, after pushback and during last safety checks, passenger row X had a backpack on a seat. It took me several times to get him to correctly stow it. From this point on, he was very aggressive and seemed to be confused. We had problems throughout the flight with this passenger. After the beverage service, I was passing his row. He said he dropped something and wanted to get rid of it. The next thing he was shoving several things onto a tray I was holding. The purser had served him 1 drink. I then went up to first class and talked with our purser and told her he shouldn't be served any more drinks. He had obviously had a lot more to drink prior to our flight. (I smelled it during the last conversation with mr X.) passenger Y (woman) had already spoken about her concerns with the purser. When I was walking back through, mr X stopped me again and said he needed to move because he was claustrophobic. I said I would see what I could do. I went back to first class and passenger Y (woman) followed. She wanted to move because she was afraid because mr X had a golf club with him and he had been very strange with her and she wanted him to stop talking to her. At this time, she moved and mr X got up and went to the aft lavatory. He was in there for 5-7 mins. When he came out, flight attendant #3 and I were back there. I told him that the row behind him, seat abc was now empty and that he could situation there if he would like. He sounded grateful for a second and I thought he was going to give me a pat or hug. Instead his arm went around my neck and he held me aggressively for several seconds. I had to turn my head and pulled down and out to get free. I told him he couldn't do that, and not to touch me and to go take his seat. He then wanted help taking his backpack back to his seat. Again he was nasty and aggressive. He went to his seat. I followed a min later and left his bag. Prior to landing, he had a couple heated conversations with other passenger. During our final safety checks, he got up to get his golf club down. We told him it needed to stay in the overhead bins. The captain had been advised of our concern that he was getting on another flight. Right after landing, mr X was again in a conversation with a passenger in a seat across the aisle. It looked heated. The captain said our gate was occupied and it would be a few mins. I called him and said we needed a gate as soon as possible. We got one, taxied in and were met by airline customer service supervisor and police. When mr X was wheeling himself up the jetway (partially disabled), he put the club between his legs and was ignoring the supervisor and yelling '*&%$ you,' etc. The police took the club and arrested him for public intoxication and I charged assault charges. Mr X was very aggressive and abusive. I can't believe no one on the ground prior to the flight hadn't observed his manner. He should never have been boarded. (I have had to take time off for a sore back and some physical therapy due to mr X grabbing me.) callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that man was boarded in his own wheelchair, which was then stowed in the belly of the plane. The reporter doesn't know if the man's claustrophobia caused his paranoid behavior, but any time another passenger talked to him, he perceived it as a verbal assault. He told the reporter a number of times that if he didn't look like this, she would be helping him. The reporter assumed he meant 'looking like this' to his being in a wheelchair. After arriving at the gate, ramp personnel brought up his wheelchair to the front door, where customer service supervisors were waiting for him to deplane. He ignored them, and rapidly moved up the jetway, faster than the supervisors could walk. He rolled right into the police, who were standing at the top of the jetway. The reporter said that the man should have been observed as being intoxicated by at least 3 different company people: at check-in, when they boarded his chair down in the belly and by the person pushing him to the plane in his wheelchair. His court arraignment wasin june, but he was a no-show. A warrant has been issued for his arrest. The reporter is now in the process of writing her congressmen and senators to follow through with this.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CABIN ATTENDANT RPT, B737, LAX-SFO. INTOXICATED, PARANOID PAX IN WHEELCHAIR. ASSAULT ON CABIN ATTENDANT. OTHER PAX TRAUMATIZED. POLICE ARRESTED MAN, CHARGES FILED BY CABIN ATTENDANT.

Narrative: ON MAY/XA/00, FLT X LAX-SFO, AFTER PUSHBACK AND DURING LAST SAFETY CHKS, PAX ROW X HAD A BACKPACK ON A SEAT. IT TOOK ME SEVERAL TIMES TO GET HIM TO CORRECTLY STOW IT. FROM THIS POINT ON, HE WAS VERY AGGRESSIVE AND SEEMED TO BE CONFUSED. WE HAD PROBS THROUGHOUT THE FLT WITH THIS PAX. AFTER THE BEVERAGE SVC, I WAS PASSING HIS ROW. HE SAID HE DROPPED SOMETHING AND WANTED TO GET RID OF IT. THE NEXT THING HE WAS SHOVING SEVERAL THINGS ONTO A TRAY I WAS HOLDING. THE PURSER HAD SERVED HIM 1 DRINK. I THEN WENT UP TO FIRST CLASS AND TALKED WITH OUR PURSER AND TOLD HER HE SHOULDN'T BE SERVED ANY MORE DRINKS. HE HAD OBVIOUSLY HAD A LOT MORE TO DRINK PRIOR TO OUR FLT. (I SMELLED IT DURING THE LAST CONVERSATION WITH MR X.) PAX Y (WOMAN) HAD ALREADY SPOKEN ABOUT HER CONCERNS WITH THE PURSER. WHEN I WAS WALKING BACK THROUGH, MR X STOPPED ME AGAIN AND SAID HE NEEDED TO MOVE BECAUSE HE WAS CLAUSTROPHOBIC. I SAID I WOULD SEE WHAT I COULD DO. I WENT BACK TO FIRST CLASS AND PAX Y (WOMAN) FOLLOWED. SHE WANTED TO MOVE BECAUSE SHE WAS AFRAID BECAUSE MR X HAD A GOLF CLUB WITH HIM AND HE HAD BEEN VERY STRANGE WITH HER AND SHE WANTED HIM TO STOP TALKING TO HER. AT THIS TIME, SHE MOVED AND MR X GOT UP AND WENT TO THE AFT LAVATORY. HE WAS IN THERE FOR 5-7 MINS. WHEN HE CAME OUT, FLT ATTENDANT #3 AND I WERE BACK THERE. I TOLD HIM THAT THE ROW BEHIND HIM, SEAT ABC WAS NOW EMPTY AND THAT HE COULD SIT THERE IF HE WOULD LIKE. HE SOUNDED GRATEFUL FOR A SECOND AND I THOUGHT HE WAS GOING TO GIVE ME A PAT OR HUG. INSTEAD HIS ARM WENT AROUND MY NECK AND HE HELD ME AGGRESSIVELY FOR SEVERAL SECONDS. I HAD TO TURN MY HEAD AND PULLED DOWN AND OUT TO GET FREE. I TOLD HIM HE COULDN'T DO THAT, AND NOT TO TOUCH ME AND TO GO TAKE HIS SEAT. HE THEN WANTED HELP TAKING HIS BACKPACK BACK TO HIS SEAT. AGAIN HE WAS NASTY AND AGGRESSIVE. HE WENT TO HIS SEAT. I FOLLOWED A MIN LATER AND LEFT HIS BAG. PRIOR TO LNDG, HE HAD A COUPLE HEATED CONVERSATIONS WITH OTHER PAX. DURING OUR FINAL SAFETY CHKS, HE GOT UP TO GET HIS GOLF CLUB DOWN. WE TOLD HIM IT NEEDED TO STAY IN THE OVERHEAD BINS. THE CAPT HAD BEEN ADVISED OF OUR CONCERN THAT HE WAS GETTING ON ANOTHER FLT. RIGHT AFTER LNDG, MR X WAS AGAIN IN A CONVERSATION WITH A PAX IN A SEAT ACROSS THE AISLE. IT LOOKED HEATED. THE CAPT SAID OUR GATE WAS OCCUPIED AND IT WOULD BE A FEW MINS. I CALLED HIM AND SAID WE NEEDED A GATE ASAP. WE GOT ONE, TAXIED IN AND WERE MET BY AIRLINE CUSTOMER SVC SUPVR AND POLICE. WHEN MR X WAS WHEELING HIMSELF UP THE JETWAY (PARTIALLY DISABLED), HE PUT THE CLUB BTWN HIS LEGS AND WAS IGNORING THE SUPVR AND YELLING '*&%$ YOU,' ETC. THE POLICE TOOK THE CLUB AND ARRESTED HIM FOR PUBLIC INTOXICATION AND I CHARGED ASSAULT CHARGES. MR X WAS VERY AGGRESSIVE AND ABUSIVE. I CAN'T BELIEVE NO ONE ON THE GND PRIOR TO THE FLT HADN'T OBSERVED HIS MANNER. HE SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN BOARDED. (I HAVE HAD TO TAKE TIME OFF FOR A SORE BACK AND SOME PHYSICAL THERAPY DUE TO MR X GRABBING ME.) CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT MAN WAS BOARDED IN HIS OWN WHEELCHAIR, WHICH WAS THEN STOWED IN THE BELLY OF THE PLANE. THE RPTR DOESN'T KNOW IF THE MAN'S CLAUSTROPHOBIA CAUSED HIS PARANOID BEHAVIOR, BUT ANY TIME ANOTHER PAX TALKED TO HIM, HE PERCEIVED IT AS A VERBAL ASSAULT. HE TOLD THE RPTR A NUMBER OF TIMES THAT IF HE DIDN'T LOOK LIKE THIS, SHE WOULD BE HELPING HIM. THE RPTR ASSUMED HE MEANT 'LOOKING LIKE THIS' TO HIS BEING IN A WHEELCHAIR. AFTER ARRIVING AT THE GATE, RAMP PERSONNEL BROUGHT UP HIS WHEELCHAIR TO THE FRONT DOOR, WHERE CUSTOMER SVC SUPVRS WERE WAITING FOR HIM TO DEPLANE. HE IGNORED THEM, AND RAPIDLY MOVED UP THE JETWAY, FASTER THAN THE SUPVRS COULD WALK. HE ROLLED RIGHT INTO THE POLICE, WHO WERE STANDING AT THE TOP OF THE JETWAY. THE RPTR SAID THAT THE MAN SHOULD HAVE BEEN OBSERVED AS BEING INTOXICATED BY AT LEAST 3 DIFFERENT COMPANY PEOPLE: AT CHK-IN, WHEN THEY BOARDED HIS CHAIR DOWN IN THE BELLY AND BY THE PERSON PUSHING HIM TO THE PLANE IN HIS WHEELCHAIR. HIS COURT ARRAIGNMENT WASIN JUNE, BUT HE WAS A NO-SHOW. A WARRANT HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR HIS ARREST. THE RPTR IS NOW IN THE PROCESS OF WRITING HER CONGRESSMEN AND SENATORS TO FOLLOW THROUGH WITH THIS.

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.