Narrative:

Approximately 2 hours before landing in hawaii, an older woman waved at me from her seat in X3. Her husband was standing in front of his seat xa at the time. I went down the aisle to see what she needed. She pulled my arm in close to her and yelled 'I need help -- go get help. He has alzheimer's and he wants to get off.' about that time, he began to yell and hit her. He yelled at her to 'get the hell out of my way.' he struck her repeatedly. He told me to get the man in charge, he wanted off. I ran to the mid galley area (2L door area) and told the purser we needed help -- this man has alzheimer's and he's mad. She in turn went to the cockpit to relate all details. The flight engineer went back to speak with the man and the purser went with him. I got on the interphone to the cockpit to report what I was seeing. The male passenger (approximately in his mid to late 70's) was shaking his finger at the flight engineer and purser. He was extremely loud and visibly upset. He pushed the purser at one point. He then stepped onto his wife's upper legs and lap area and jumped out of his seat area. He came down the aisle toward me. I got off the phone and asked him if he wanted a glass of water. He looked at me and said, 'you're one of them! Get me outta here.' he went to a lavatory door and began banging on the door and saying 'do I have to knock down this door?' he then went to the galley (aft area) and found an ice mallet (metal). He began to swing it around hitting the wall area above the jump seats. I then got scared and went back to the cockpit. When I left, the purser was with him and the flight engineer was with him also, another flight attendant was there. This man was obviously very upset. He didn't want to talk to anyone. He was constantly waving his arms wildly, yelling obscenities, and could not be still. Seat xa had a baby in a baby car seat directly in front of this man. I was worried about whether the baby would be injured during the initial scuffling. 2 passenger (big guys) offered to help the purser, the flight engineer. He gratefully accepted. I was not present when they restrained him and took the mallet from him. He eventually settled down. My purser was most professional at all times. She sat with passenger 'during landing' and spoke with him the entire descent. She made a PA after landing for passenger to remain seated. The 2 big guys were wonderful. They walked off the aircraft with the passenger. The paramedics and police were there waiting. This entire situation was extremely dangerous for the passenger surrounding him. During the flight, several passenger asked me what was going on, and were we in danger? I told them we were going to be fine. Mr X's wife was very upset and embarrassed. She cried almost the entire time. I realize this man is ill and I feel bad for them, but this situation should never have happened. There was a physical struggle that took place between flight engineer, and mr X, holding mallet, purser, and 2 volunteer big guys. The purser was badly bruised. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that most of the incident occurred at the 'point of no return' over the pacific. The incident started with this elderly couple and the husband had alzheimer's disease. The man was very upset and stopped a flight attendant passing down the aisle, and said he 'wanted to get off this bus.' the flight attendant told the purser about how upset this man was. The purser told the cockpit and then the flight engineer came back to talk to the man. The flight engineer left the cockpit a total of 3 times to come back and handle this man and eventually, had to take his tie off, because the man kept grabbing it and pulling the flight engineer into him. At one time, the man had grabbed an ice mallet out of the aft galley and was hammering away at the walls. His wife was in the lavatory at the time. 2 huge men and flight engineer took the ice mallet away from the old man. The wife was very upset and distraught, so some of the other wives on the plane tried to comfort her. Most of the passenger felt sorry for the couple and were compassionate, but some were upset. The purser came back and sat next to theman in the last row and calmed him down. She had learned how to deal with alzheimer's, because one of her parents had it. The purser found out that the man hadn't taken his medication, so a psychiatrist was found on the plane and he went back and tried to get the man to take his medication, to no avail. Police met the flight and took the couple off and sent them right back to dallas the next day on the first flight out, but on another carrier, because the reporter's carrier refused them passage on their airline.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CABIN ATTENDANT RPT, DC10, DFW-HNL. MAN WITH ALZHEIMER'S BECAME VIOLENT, HITTING WIFE, PURSER, FE WHO LEFT COCKPIT 3 TIMES TO DEAL WITH HIM. POUNDED WALLS WITH ICE MALLET. 2 BIG MEN AND FE, SUBDUED HIM. POLICE MET FLT.

Narrative: APPROX 2 HRS BEFORE LNDG IN HAWAII, AN OLDER WOMAN WAVED AT ME FROM HER SEAT IN X3. HER HUSBAND WAS STANDING IN FRONT OF HIS SEAT XA AT THE TIME. I WENT DOWN THE AISLE TO SEE WHAT SHE NEEDED. SHE PULLED MY ARM IN CLOSE TO HER AND YELLED 'I NEED HELP -- GO GET HELP. HE HAS ALZHEIMER'S AND HE WANTS TO GET OFF.' ABOUT THAT TIME, HE BEGAN TO YELL AND HIT HER. HE YELLED AT HER TO 'GET THE HELL OUT OF MY WAY.' HE STRUCK HER REPEATEDLY. HE TOLD ME TO GET THE MAN IN CHARGE, HE WANTED OFF. I RAN TO THE MID GALLEY AREA (2L DOOR AREA) AND TOLD THE PURSER WE NEEDED HELP -- THIS MAN HAS ALZHEIMER'S AND HE'S MAD. SHE IN TURN WENT TO THE COCKPIT TO RELATE ALL DETAILS. THE FE WENT BACK TO SPEAK WITH THE MAN AND THE PURSER WENT WITH HIM. I GOT ON THE INTERPHONE TO THE COCKPIT TO RPT WHAT I WAS SEEING. THE MALE PAX (APPROX IN HIS MID TO LATE 70'S) WAS SHAKING HIS FINGER AT THE FE AND PURSER. HE WAS EXTREMELY LOUD AND VISIBLY UPSET. HE PUSHED THE PURSER AT ONE POINT. HE THEN STEPPED ONTO HIS WIFE'S UPPER LEGS AND LAP AREA AND JUMPED OUT OF HIS SEAT AREA. HE CAME DOWN THE AISLE TOWARD ME. I GOT OFF THE PHONE AND ASKED HIM IF HE WANTED A GLASS OF WATER. HE LOOKED AT ME AND SAID, 'YOU'RE ONE OF THEM! GET ME OUTTA HERE.' HE WENT TO A LAVATORY DOOR AND BEGAN BANGING ON THE DOOR AND SAYING 'DO I HAVE TO KNOCK DOWN THIS DOOR?' HE THEN WENT TO THE GALLEY (AFT AREA) AND FOUND AN ICE MALLET (METAL). HE BEGAN TO SWING IT AROUND HITTING THE WALL AREA ABOVE THE JUMP SEATS. I THEN GOT SCARED AND WENT BACK TO THE COCKPIT. WHEN I LEFT, THE PURSER WAS WITH HIM AND THE FE WAS WITH HIM ALSO, ANOTHER FLT ATTENDANT WAS THERE. THIS MAN WAS OBVIOUSLY VERY UPSET. HE DIDN'T WANT TO TALK TO ANYONE. HE WAS CONSTANTLY WAVING HIS ARMS WILDLY, YELLING OBSCENITIES, AND COULD NOT BE STILL. SEAT XA HAD A BABY IN A BABY CAR SEAT DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THIS MAN. I WAS WORRIED ABOUT WHETHER THE BABY WOULD BE INJURED DURING THE INITIAL SCUFFLING. 2 PAX (BIG GUYS) OFFERED TO HELP THE PURSER, THE FE. HE GRATEFULLY ACCEPTED. I WAS NOT PRESENT WHEN THEY RESTRAINED HIM AND TOOK THE MALLET FROM HIM. HE EVENTUALLY SETTLED DOWN. MY PURSER WAS MOST PROFESSIONAL AT ALL TIMES. SHE SAT WITH PAX 'DURING LNDG' AND SPOKE WITH HIM THE ENTIRE DSCNT. SHE MADE A PA AFTER LNDG FOR PAX TO REMAIN SEATED. THE 2 BIG GUYS WERE WONDERFUL. THEY WALKED OFF THE ACFT WITH THE PAX. THE PARAMEDICS AND POLICE WERE THERE WAITING. THIS ENTIRE SIT WAS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS FOR THE PAX SURROUNDING HIM. DURING THE FLT, SEVERAL PAX ASKED ME WHAT WAS GOING ON, AND WERE WE IN DANGER? I TOLD THEM WE WERE GOING TO BE FINE. MR X'S WIFE WAS VERY UPSET AND EMBARRASSED. SHE CRIED ALMOST THE ENTIRE TIME. I REALIZE THIS MAN IS ILL AND I FEEL BAD FOR THEM, BUT THIS SIT SHOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED. THERE WAS A PHYSICAL STRUGGLE THAT TOOK PLACE BTWN FE, AND MR X, HOLDING MALLET, PURSER, AND 2 VOLUNTEER BIG GUYS. THE PURSER WAS BADLY BRUISED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT MOST OF THE INCIDENT OCCURRED AT THE 'POINT OF NO RETURN' OVER THE PACIFIC. THE INCIDENT STARTED WITH THIS ELDERLY COUPLE AND THE HUSBAND HAD ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE. THE MAN WAS VERY UPSET AND STOPPED A FLT ATTENDANT PASSING DOWN THE AISLE, AND SAID HE 'WANTED TO GET OFF THIS BUS.' THE FLT ATTENDANT TOLD THE PURSER ABOUT HOW UPSET THIS MAN WAS. THE PURSER TOLD THE COCKPIT AND THEN THE FE CAME BACK TO TALK TO THE MAN. THE FE LEFT THE COCKPIT A TOTAL OF 3 TIMES TO COME BACK AND HANDLE THIS MAN AND EVENTUALLY, HAD TO TAKE HIS TIE OFF, BECAUSE THE MAN KEPT GRABBING IT AND PULLING THE FE INTO HIM. AT ONE TIME, THE MAN HAD GRABBED AN ICE MALLET OUT OF THE AFT GALLEY AND WAS HAMMERING AWAY AT THE WALLS. HIS WIFE WAS IN THE LAVATORY AT THE TIME. 2 HUGE MEN AND FE TOOK THE ICE MALLET AWAY FROM THE OLD MAN. THE WIFE WAS VERY UPSET AND DISTRAUGHT, SO SOME OF THE OTHER WIVES ON THE PLANE TRIED TO COMFORT HER. MOST OF THE PAX FELT SORRY FOR THE COUPLE AND WERE COMPASSIONATE, BUT SOME WERE UPSET. THE PURSER CAME BACK AND SAT NEXT TO THEMAN IN THE LAST ROW AND CALMED HIM DOWN. SHE HAD LEARNED HOW TO DEAL WITH ALZHEIMER'S, BECAUSE ONE OF HER PARENTS HAD IT. THE PURSER FOUND OUT THAT THE MAN HADN'T TAKEN HIS MEDICATION, SO A PSYCHIATRIST WAS FOUND ON THE PLANE AND HE WENT BACK AND TRIED TO GET THE MAN TO TAKE HIS MEDICATION, TO NO AVAIL. POLICE MET THE FLT AND TOOK THE COUPLE OFF AND SENT THEM RIGHT BACK TO DALLAS THE NEXT DAY ON THE FIRST FLT OUT, BUT ON ANOTHER CARRIER, BECAUSE THE RPTR'S CARRIER REFUSED THEM PASSAGE ON THEIR AIRLINE.

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.