Narrative:

Our flight was 4-5 hours late departing from austin, because the inbound aircraft was late due to thunderstorms. We boarded our flight and waited on the ground approximately 1 hour before we backed away from the gate. We observed the gentleman involved in the incident during that time and served him 1 cocktail, then decided he shouldn't be served anymore cocktails because he was getting loud and we thought he might be getting intoxicated. We backed away from the gate and then stopped because of an engine malfunction. While the captain was explaining over the PA about our delay and how we were going to manually start this engine, the passenger got out of his seat and went to the first class flight attendant in her jump seat and demanded that she open the cockpit door and was swearing at her. He pounded on the cockpit door. I went to talk to him and find out what was happening. He was very distraught about the engine and kept asking us if we were ok with this. We told him this was a fairly common procedure and we were fine with it. Then he said 'well then I'm ok with it if you are,' then said he wanted in the cockpit because he didn't like this and wanted off the aircraft. I was finally able to get the cockpit's attention, when he stopped giving his PA, to tell him about the man. The first officer came back and spoke to him and we proceeded back to the gate. 2 police officers met the flight to take him off and he had difficulty locating his bags in the overhead -- he couldn't recognize them. The officers were helping him off and he resisted, so they handcuffed him. They said he would be going to jail overnight. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that the man never really appeared intoxicated. He just became very irrational when the captain made his announcement about the engine malfunction. He was a frequent flier, so it didn't make sense to the reporter that he would react this way to a minor mechanical problem. He didn't really actively resist being escorted off the plane, but got real touchy when the policeman touched his elbow, so the policeman handcuffed him. The reporter believes that they shouldn't serve liquor on the ground in flight delays, because of the problems a lot of people potentially have with liquor. She would like to take off with sober people.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CABIN ATTENDANT RPT, B757, AUS-SJC. WX: 5 HR FLT DELAY, SERVE LIQUOR ON GND. ENG STARTER PROB DELAY. PAX WANTED OFF, BEAT ON COCKPIT DOOR TO GO INSIDE AND ORDER CAPT BACK TO GATE. POLICE ARRESTED PAX.

Narrative: OUR FLT WAS 4-5 HRS LATE DEPARTING FROM AUSTIN, BECAUSE THE INBOUND ACFT WAS LATE DUE TO TSTMS. WE BOARDED OUR FLT AND WAITED ON THE GND APPROX 1 HR BEFORE WE BACKED AWAY FROM THE GATE. WE OBSERVED THE GENTLEMAN INVOLVED IN THE INCIDENT DURING THAT TIME AND SERVED HIM 1 COCKTAIL, THEN DECIDED HE SHOULDN'T BE SERVED ANYMORE COCKTAILS BECAUSE HE WAS GETTING LOUD AND WE THOUGHT HE MIGHT BE GETTING INTOXICATED. WE BACKED AWAY FROM THE GATE AND THEN STOPPED BECAUSE OF AN ENG MALFUNCTION. WHILE THE CAPT WAS EXPLAINING OVER THE PA ABOUT OUR DELAY AND HOW WE WERE GOING TO MANUALLY START THIS ENG, THE PAX GOT OUT OF HIS SEAT AND WENT TO THE FIRST CLASS FLT ATTENDANT IN HER JUMP SEAT AND DEMANDED THAT SHE OPEN THE COCKPIT DOOR AND WAS SWEARING AT HER. HE POUNDED ON THE COCKPIT DOOR. I WENT TO TALK TO HIM AND FIND OUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING. HE WAS VERY DISTRAUGHT ABOUT THE ENG AND KEPT ASKING US IF WE WERE OK WITH THIS. WE TOLD HIM THIS WAS A FAIRLY COMMON PROC AND WE WERE FINE WITH IT. THEN HE SAID 'WELL THEN I'M OK WITH IT IF YOU ARE,' THEN SAID HE WANTED IN THE COCKPIT BECAUSE HE DIDN'T LIKE THIS AND WANTED OFF THE ACFT. I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO GET THE COCKPIT'S ATTN, WHEN HE STOPPED GIVING HIS PA, TO TELL HIM ABOUT THE MAN. THE FO CAME BACK AND SPOKE TO HIM AND WE PROCEEDED BACK TO THE GATE. 2 POLICE OFFICERS MET THE FLT TO TAKE HIM OFF AND HE HAD DIFFICULTY LOCATING HIS BAGS IN THE OVERHEAD -- HE COULDN'T RECOGNIZE THEM. THE OFFICERS WERE HELPING HIM OFF AND HE RESISTED, SO THEY HANDCUFFED HIM. THEY SAID HE WOULD BE GOING TO JAIL OVERNIGHT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT THE MAN NEVER REALLY APPEARED INTOXICATED. HE JUST BECAME VERY IRRATIONAL WHEN THE CAPT MADE HIS ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT THE ENG MALFUNCTION. HE WAS A FREQUENT FLIER, SO IT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE TO THE RPTR THAT HE WOULD REACT THIS WAY TO A MINOR MECHANICAL PROB. HE DIDN'T REALLY ACTIVELY RESIST BEING ESCORTED OFF THE PLANE, BUT GOT REAL TOUCHY WHEN THE POLICEMAN TOUCHED HIS ELBOW, SO THE POLICEMAN HANDCUFFED HIM. THE RPTR BELIEVES THAT THEY SHOULDN'T SERVE LIQUOR ON THE GND IN FLT DELAYS, BECAUSE OF THE PROBS A LOT OF PEOPLE POTENTIALLY HAVE WITH LIQUOR. SHE WOULD LIKE TO TAKE OFF WITH SOBER PEOPLE.

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.