Narrative:

I had an FAA jump seat rider on board going to okc. At 1200 ft AGL, I noticed the cabin call light on. Just after that, a knock on the cockpit door. I instructed the first officer to open it. The flight attendant informed me that there was a male passenger who refused to situation down for landing and was offering resistance. Being on short final and having visions of some individual that could cause harm to others, I instructed the flight attendant to just buckle up and we would handle it on the ground. After final aircraft confign and landing checklist, I instructed the first officer to call ramp control and have security meet the aircraft. Landing and taxi were uneventful. There were 4 police in the jetway and 4 in the concourse. As the passenger deplaned, we discovered that the person causing the commotion was a very old gentleman who did not speak english and had just flown in from foreign country all in 1 day. He also had a case of alzheimer's disease. He was accompanied by his daughter. The police and I talked to the daughter in the concourse at length. We were able to settle everyone down to the point of normalcy. She said the flight attendant appeared rude and that she tried to get her father to situation down, but in her culture, fathers do not listen to daughters. Very well. I believed, at this point, no more could be gained with any more action, so the police and I decided to drop the situation and let it go. I feel that better people skills may have helped the situation from the start. Not much of that around anymore. The jump seat rider said I couldn't have done it any better and he couldn't have done it any differently. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that the old man did remain standing for landing, and he was unhurt. The reporter felt that the flight attendant should have not been so concerned about the safety issue of the man standing, but have understood that there was both an age problem and a cultural problem. The man's daughter became quite upset with purser's lack of sensitivity. The captain felt like the purser should have told him that it was an old man, because the captain assumed the worst -- that he was young, strong, and probably intoxicated. There was not only the 8 policemen meeting the plane, but the old man's family of 12, and this seemed almost comical.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT RPT, MD80, STL-OKC. PURSER COULDN'T GET AN OLD, NON ENGLISH SPEAKING MAN TO SIT DOWN FOR LNDG. 8 POLICE MET FLT. LACK OF CABIN ATTENDANT CULTURAL SENSITIVITY.

Narrative: I HAD AN FAA JUMP SEAT RIDER ON BOARD GOING TO OKC. AT 1200 FT AGL, I NOTICED THE CABIN CALL LIGHT ON. JUST AFTER THAT, A KNOCK ON THE COCKPIT DOOR. I INSTRUCTED THE FO TO OPEN IT. THE FLT ATTENDANT INFORMED ME THAT THERE WAS A MALE PAX WHO REFUSED TO SIT DOWN FOR LNDG AND WAS OFFERING RESISTANCE. BEING ON SHORT FINAL AND HAVING VISIONS OF SOME INDIVIDUAL THAT COULD CAUSE HARM TO OTHERS, I INSTRUCTED THE FLT ATTENDANT TO JUST BUCKLE UP AND WE WOULD HANDLE IT ON THE GND. AFTER FINAL ACFT CONFIGN AND LNDG CHKLIST, I INSTRUCTED THE FO TO CALL RAMP CTL AND HAVE SECURITY MEET THE ACFT. LNDG AND TAXI WERE UNEVENTFUL. THERE WERE 4 POLICE IN THE JETWAY AND 4 IN THE CONCOURSE. AS THE PAX DEPLANED, WE DISCOVERED THAT THE PERSON CAUSING THE COMMOTION WAS A VERY OLD GENTLEMAN WHO DID NOT SPEAK ENGLISH AND HAD JUST FLOWN IN FROM FOREIGN COUNTRY ALL IN 1 DAY. HE ALSO HAD A CASE OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE. HE WAS ACCOMPANIED BY HIS DAUGHTER. THE POLICE AND I TALKED TO THE DAUGHTER IN THE CONCOURSE AT LENGTH. WE WERE ABLE TO SETTLE EVERYONE DOWN TO THE POINT OF NORMALCY. SHE SAID THE FLT ATTENDANT APPEARED RUDE AND THAT SHE TRIED TO GET HER FATHER TO SIT DOWN, BUT IN HER CULTURE, FATHERS DO NOT LISTEN TO DAUGHTERS. VERY WELL. I BELIEVED, AT THIS POINT, NO MORE COULD BE GAINED WITH ANY MORE ACTION, SO THE POLICE AND I DECIDED TO DROP THE SIT AND LET IT GO. I FEEL THAT BETTER PEOPLE SKILLS MAY HAVE HELPED THE SIT FROM THE START. NOT MUCH OF THAT AROUND ANYMORE. THE JUMP SEAT RIDER SAID I COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT ANY BETTER AND HE COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT ANY DIFFERENTLY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT THE OLD MAN DID REMAIN STANDING FOR LNDG, AND HE WAS UNHURT. THE RPTR FELT THAT THE FLT ATTENDANT SHOULD HAVE NOT BEEN SO CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY ISSUE OF THE MAN STANDING, BUT HAVE UNDERSTOOD THAT THERE WAS BOTH AN AGE PROB AND A CULTURAL PROB. THE MAN'S DAUGHTER BECAME QUITE UPSET WITH PURSER'S LACK OF SENSITIVITY. THE CAPT FELT LIKE THE PURSER SHOULD HAVE TOLD HIM THAT IT WAS AN OLD MAN, BECAUSE THE CAPT ASSUMED THE WORST -- THAT HE WAS YOUNG, STRONG, AND PROBABLY INTOXICATED. THERE WAS NOT ONLY THE 8 POLICEMEN MEETING THE PLANE, BUT THE OLD MAN'S FAMILY OF 12, AND THIS SEEMED ALMOST COMICAL.

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.