Narrative:

All aspects of the flight were uneventful until the approach phase into ZZZ. At approximately 13000 ft and 10 to 15 mins from landing there were several loud bangs on cockpit door followed immediately by a young male bursting head first through the middle emergency escape panel of the cockpit door up to his upper chest and screaming something like, 'fly the plane man!'. Or possibly 'someone's got to fly the plane man!' I yelled at the passenger to get out. The young man pulled out and did not return. I told first officer to take the radios while I attempted to re-secure the cockpit door panel. The panel could not be re-secured. I contacted the flight attendants to ascertain the cabin situation. I was informed that the young male had been grabbed by a couple of male passenger, placed back in his seat and buckled up. I was also told that the young man had calmed down and that the situation was under control with a large male passenger sitting next to him ready to control him. I then requested priority handling landing clearance from approach control and I told approach that I had a passenger problem on board. I contacted operations and requested airport security police meet the aircraft. At this point, we were approximately 10000 ft and 10 to 15 mi southwest of the ZZZ airport just about to turn downwind for runway. Tower/approach asked if we wanted opposite direction landing to runway. I decided that an opposite direction approach would require an aggressive 330 degree descent due to our altitude and proximity from the field and elected to continue to the active runway. At approximately this time the flight attendants called the cockpit and told me that the young man had gotten out of seat again and was being restrained on the cabin floor by half a dozen passenger. I asked tower at that time to have the police meet the aircraft. Tower then cleared us for the visual approach. Somewhere in the downwind or base to final turn the flight attendants contacted me again to request paramedics because there was a fight. The flight attendant also wanted me to know that there were going to be passenger holding the young man down on the floor in the middle of the cabin and therefore would not be buckled in their seats for landing. I acknowledged that I was aware of the situation and that he had my permission to have the men restraining the young man on the floor and not in their seats. After landing I directed first officer to make a public announcement to have the passenger remain in their seats after we arrived at the gate. Immediately after engine shut down, the police and paramedics entered the aircraft and proceeded to take over the situation regarding the young man.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-300 FLC CALLS FOR ASSISTANCE FROM ATC AND GND SECURITY PERSONNEL WHEN AN IRRATIONAL PAX ATTEMPTS A COCKPIT BREAK IN AND HAS TO BE SEVERELY RESTR BY NUMEROUS OTHER PAX IN THE CABIN NEAR ZZZ, US.

Narrative: ALL ASPECTS OF THE FLT WERE UNEVENTFUL UNTIL THE APCH PHASE INTO ZZZ. AT APPROX 13000 FT AND 10 TO 15 MINS FROM LNDG THERE WERE SEVERAL LOUD BANGS ON COCKPIT DOOR FOLLOWED IMMEDIATELY BY A YOUNG MALE BURSTING HEAD FIRST THROUGH THE MIDDLE EMER ESCAPE PANEL OF THE COCKPIT DOOR UP TO HIS UPPER CHEST AND SCREAMING SOMETHING LIKE, 'FLY THE PLANE MAN!'. OR POSSIBLY 'SOMEONE'S GOT TO FLY THE PLANE MAN!' I YELLED AT THE PAX TO GET OUT. THE YOUNG MAN PULLED OUT AND DID NOT RETURN. I TOLD FO TO TAKE THE RADIOS WHILE I ATTEMPTED TO RE-SECURE THE COCKPIT DOOR PANEL. THE PANEL COULD NOT BE RE-SECURED. I CONTACTED THE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS TO ASCERTAIN THE CABIN SIT. I WAS INFORMED THAT THE YOUNG MALE HAD BEEN GRABBED BY A COUPLE OF MALE PAX, PLACED BACK IN HIS SEAT AND BUCKLED UP. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT THE YOUNG MAN HAD CALMED DOWN AND THAT THE SIT WAS UNDER CTL WITH A LARGE MALE PAX SITTING NEXT TO HIM READY TO CTL HIM. I THEN REQUESTED PRIORITY HANDLING LNDG CLRNC FROM APCH CTL AND I TOLD APCH THAT I HAD A PAX PROBLEM ON BOARD. I CONTACTED OPS AND REQUESTED ARPT SECURITY POLICE MEET THE ACFT. AT THIS POINT, WE WERE APPROX 10000 FT AND 10 TO 15 MI SW OF THE ZZZ ARPT JUST ABOUT TO TURN DOWNWIND FOR RWY. TWR/APCH ASKED IF WE WANTED OPPOSITE DIRECTION LNDG TO RWY. I DECIDED THAT AN OPPOSITE DIRECTION APPROACH WOULD REQUIRE AN AGGRESSIVE 330 DEG DSCNT DUE TO OUR ALT AND PROX FROM THE FIELD AND ELECTED TO CONTINUE TO THE ACTIVE RWY. AT APPROX THIS TIME THE FLT ATTENDANTS CALLED THE COCKPIT AND TOLD ME THAT THE YOUNG MAN HAD GOTTEN OUT OF SEAT AGAIN AND WAS BEING RESTRAINED ON THE CABIN FLOOR BY HALF A DOZEN PAX. I ASKED TWR AT THAT TIME TO HAVE THE POLICE MEET THE ACFT. TWR THEN CLEARED US FOR THE VISUAL APCH. SOMEWHERE IN THE DOWNWIND OR BASE TO FINAL TURN THE FLT ATTENDANTS CONTACTED ME AGAIN TO REQUEST PARAMEDICS BECAUSE THERE WAS A FIGHT. THE FLT ATTENDANT ALSO WANTED ME TO KNOW THAT THERE WERE GOING TO BE PAX HOLDING THE YOUNG MAN DOWN ON THE FLOOR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CABIN AND THEREFORE WOULD NOT BE BUCKLED IN THEIR SEATS FOR LNDG. I ACKNOWLEDGED THAT I WAS AWARE OF THE SIT AND THAT HE HAD MY PERMISSION TO HAVE THE MEN RESTRAINING THE YOUNG MAN ON THE FLOOR AND NOT IN THEIR SEATS. AFTER LNDG I DIRECTED FO TO MAKE A PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT TO HAVE THE PAX REMAIN IN THEIR SEATS AFTER WE ARRIVED AT THE GATE. IMMEDIATELY AFTER ENG SHUT DOWN, THE POLICE AND PARAMEDICS ENTERED THE ACFT AND PROCEEDED TO TAKE OVER THE SIT REGARDING THE YOUNG MAN.

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.