Narrative:

The first portion of the flight was totally routine. At approximately XA00, flight attendant #2 came to the cockpit and notified us of a passenger disturbance. A young woman had gone from her coach seat to business class, where she was stretched out across 2 seats. When asked to return to coach, she refused and was apparently fairly abusive of the flight attendants and was highly disturbing to the other business class passenger. Captain xy asked me to go and speak with her. I did so. When I arrived on the scene, she was pretending to be asleep across 2 seats. I said 'ma'am?' three times before she responded to me. I asked her what the problem was, and she replied that she was very sick and needed to sleep and that we could call her doctor for verification. I asked her what her name was and she yelled back 'jane DOE!,' to which I asked 'could I please see your boarding card, ma'am?' she said she didn't have one. I said that she did when she boarded, so where was it? She said she threw it away. She went on about how sick she was. (Previously another flight attendant had checked with her seat mate in coach and asked if she appeared sick. The man said no and added that she ate her breakfast without difficulty.) I asked her what was wrong, and she would only reply that she was 'sick.' I said that if she was that sick, possibly we would need to consider stopping and getting her medical care. She told me 'you can land anywhere you want, but I am not leaving this seat.' I explained that if she did stay in the seat and we continued to lax she would be charged the difference in fares. She told me she didn't care because she didn't have the money and had dealt with the police before (!), and she was going back to sleep. Then she said 'goodnight!' and closed her eyes. I continued talking to her and she said to just stop and put her off, because she was not moving back to coach. At this point she said 'I'm getting sick! I'm gonna get sick all over you (me, the first officer) right now!', at which she started making totally unbelievable gagging and vomiting noises at me and opening her mouth directly at me like she was going to regurgitate on me. I said that she was failing to convince me of her sickness, at which point it immediately stopped. I asked her once more to return to coach. She refused. I then went with the #1 flight attendant back to the cockpit. Captain xy asked what I thought. I told him I thought she was trying to get a free upgrade to business class and she was obviously not sick. I also informed him that I thought she might have some mental or emotional difficulties, which the #1 flight attendant agreed with. He asked if she had been drinking or was on any drugs. To our knowledge, she had not been drinking, but I added that she may have been on some type of drugs, but I was uncertain. I did recommend strongly that we stop in cvg to deplane her as she was an ongoing distraction to the real business class passenger. I based my recommendation on the fact that at the time we were approximately over ft wayne, in, only about 150 mi from cvg and we were at the time about 50 mi early on our ETA into lax. He called the dispatcher while I flew. The dispatcher concurred and we began the divert with me still flying. The #1 flight attendant made a PA that we were diverting into cvg. At this point, this passenger knew we had called her bluff, and ran to the cockpit door and tried banging on it trying to get in. A male flight attendant subdued her and escorted her to a coach seat where she sat for the rest of the flight. I made a PA telling the passengers that there was nothing wrong with the aircraft, but that due to an unruly passenger we had to divert to cvg for their safety and the crew's safety. (As an aside, when I stood at the door upon deplaning in lax, virtually all passenger thought we had done the correct thing and were highly complimentary to the entire crew.) upon arrival, police and security met the plane and she deplaned. In the jetway, she told police that she hadn't understood that I was the pilot, and that we were all mean, and further, that she said that she had told us she would go back to her seat. All of which, of course, was false. They later took her away in a squad car. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: after his confrontation with the woman, he wanted to divert and asked the captain. The captain was very hesitant, but said if dispatch agreed with the first officer, then they would divert. When the reporter made the PA that they were diverting to cvg to take off a disruptive passenger, the woman left her seat and came running up to the cockpit door and was trying to break it down. The #1 flight attendant didn't hear or see it happening, because she was busy putting things away in the galley, since they had only 15 mins to prepare the cabins for landing. It was fortunate that the male flight attendant was on the left aisle and could see what the woman was trying to do. He actually took her forcibly back to her seat, and sat next to her for the rest of the flight, including, allegedly, landing. When they landed, the woman literally tried to run off the plane before anyone could catch her. Instead, she sprinted off the plane only to land in the arms of 1 of the 4 sheriff's deputies waiting on the jetway. The reporter's understanding is that the FAA has decided to prosecute her for trying to break into the cockpit.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT RPT, 767-300ER, BOS-LAX. VERBALLY ABUSIVE WOMAN IN COACH MOVED TO BUSINESS CLASS, REFUSED TO MOVE BACK, EVEN AFTER FO SPOKE TO HER. DIVERT CVG. POLICE REMOVED HER.

Narrative: THE FIRST PORTION OF THE FLT WAS TOTALLY ROUTINE. AT APPROX XA00, FLT ATTENDANT #2 CAME TO THE COCKPIT AND NOTIFIED US OF A PAX DISTURBANCE. A YOUNG WOMAN HAD GONE FROM HER COACH SEAT TO BUSINESS CLASS, WHERE SHE WAS STRETCHED OUT ACROSS 2 SEATS. WHEN ASKED TO RETURN TO COACH, SHE REFUSED AND WAS APPARENTLY FAIRLY ABUSIVE OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS AND WAS HIGHLY DISTURBING TO THE OTHER BUSINESS CLASS PAX. CAPT XY ASKED ME TO GO AND SPEAK WITH HER. I DID SO. WHEN I ARRIVED ON THE SCENE, SHE WAS PRETENDING TO BE ASLEEP ACROSS 2 SEATS. I SAID 'MA'AM?' THREE TIMES BEFORE SHE RESPONDED TO ME. I ASKED HER WHAT THE PROB WAS, AND SHE REPLIED THAT SHE WAS VERY SICK AND NEEDED TO SLEEP AND THAT WE COULD CALL HER DOCTOR FOR VERIFICATION. I ASKED HER WHAT HER NAME WAS AND SHE YELLED BACK 'JANE DOE!,' TO WHICH I ASKED 'COULD I PLEASE SEE YOUR BOARDING CARD, MA'AM?' SHE SAID SHE DIDN'T HAVE ONE. I SAID THAT SHE DID WHEN SHE BOARDED, SO WHERE WAS IT? SHE SAID SHE THREW IT AWAY. SHE WENT ON ABOUT HOW SICK SHE WAS. (PREVIOUSLY ANOTHER FLT ATTENDANT HAD CHKED WITH HER SEAT MATE IN COACH AND ASKED IF SHE APPEARED SICK. THE MAN SAID NO AND ADDED THAT SHE ATE HER BREAKFAST WITHOUT DIFFICULTY.) I ASKED HER WHAT WAS WRONG, AND SHE WOULD ONLY REPLY THAT SHE WAS 'SICK.' I SAID THAT IF SHE WAS THAT SICK, POSSIBLY WE WOULD NEED TO CONSIDER STOPPING AND GETTING HER MEDICAL CARE. SHE TOLD ME 'YOU CAN LAND ANYWHERE YOU WANT, BUT I AM NOT LEAVING THIS SEAT.' I EXPLAINED THAT IF SHE DID STAY IN THE SEAT AND WE CONTINUED TO LAX SHE WOULD BE CHARGED THE DIFFERENCE IN FARES. SHE TOLD ME SHE DIDN'T CARE BECAUSE SHE DIDN'T HAVE THE MONEY AND HAD DEALT WITH THE POLICE BEFORE (!), AND SHE WAS GOING BACK TO SLEEP. THEN SHE SAID 'GOODNIGHT!' AND CLOSED HER EYES. I CONTINUED TALKING TO HER AND SHE SAID TO JUST STOP AND PUT HER OFF, BECAUSE SHE WAS NOT MOVING BACK TO COACH. AT THIS POINT SHE SAID 'I'M GETTING SICK! I'M GONNA GET SICK ALL OVER YOU (ME, THE FO) RIGHT NOW!', AT WHICH SHE STARTED MAKING TOTALLY UNBELIEVABLE GAGGING AND VOMITING NOISES AT ME AND OPENING HER MOUTH DIRECTLY AT ME LIKE SHE WAS GOING TO REGURGITATE ON ME. I SAID THAT SHE WAS FAILING TO CONVINCE ME OF HER SICKNESS, AT WHICH POINT IT IMMEDIATELY STOPPED. I ASKED HER ONCE MORE TO RETURN TO COACH. SHE REFUSED. I THEN WENT WITH THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT BACK TO THE COCKPIT. CAPT XY ASKED WHAT I THOUGHT. I TOLD HIM I THOUGHT SHE WAS TRYING TO GET A FREE UPGRADE TO BUSINESS CLASS AND SHE WAS OBVIOUSLY NOT SICK. I ALSO INFORMED HIM THAT I THOUGHT SHE MIGHT HAVE SOME MENTAL OR EMOTIONAL DIFFICULTIES, WHICH THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT AGREED WITH. HE ASKED IF SHE HAD BEEN DRINKING OR WAS ON ANY DRUGS. TO OUR KNOWLEDGE, SHE HAD NOT BEEN DRINKING, BUT I ADDED THAT SHE MAY HAVE BEEN ON SOME TYPE OF DRUGS, BUT I WAS UNCERTAIN. I DID RECOMMEND STRONGLY THAT WE STOP IN CVG TO DEPLANE HER AS SHE WAS AN ONGOING DISTR TO THE REAL BUSINESS CLASS PAX. I BASED MY RECOMMENDATION ON THE FACT THAT AT THE TIME WE WERE APPROX OVER FT WAYNE, IN, ONLY ABOUT 150 MI FROM CVG AND WE WERE AT THE TIME ABOUT 50 MI EARLY ON OUR ETA INTO LAX. HE CALLED THE DISPATCHER WHILE I FLEW. THE DISPATCHER CONCURRED AND WE BEGAN THE DIVERT WITH ME STILL FLYING. THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT MADE A PA THAT WE WERE DIVERTING INTO CVG. AT THIS POINT, THIS PAX KNEW WE HAD CALLED HER BLUFF, AND RAN TO THE COCKPIT DOOR AND TRIED BANGING ON IT TRYING TO GET IN. A MALE FLT ATTENDANT SUBDUED HER AND ESCORTED HER TO A COACH SEAT WHERE SHE SAT FOR THE REST OF THE FLT. I MADE A PA TELLING THE PASSENGERS THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE ACFT, BUT THAT DUE TO AN UNRULY PAX WE HAD TO DIVERT TO CVG FOR THEIR SAFETY AND THE CREW'S SAFETY. (AS AN ASIDE, WHEN I STOOD AT THE DOOR UPON DEPLANING IN LAX, VIRTUALLY ALL PAX THOUGHT WE HAD DONE THE CORRECT THING AND WERE HIGHLY COMPLIMENTARY TO THE ENTIRE CREW.) UPON ARR, POLICE AND SECURITY MET THE PLANE AND SHE DEPLANED. IN THE JETWAY, SHE TOLD POLICE THAT SHE HADN'T UNDERSTOOD THAT I WAS THE PLT, AND THAT WE WERE ALL MEAN, AND FURTHER, THAT SHE SAID THAT SHE HAD TOLD US SHE WOULD GO BACK TO HER SEAT. ALL OF WHICH, OF COURSE, WAS FALSE. THEY LATER TOOK HER AWAY IN A SQUAD CAR. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: AFTER HIS CONFRONTATION WITH THE WOMAN, HE WANTED TO DIVERT AND ASKED THE CAPT. THE CAPT WAS VERY HESITANT, BUT SAID IF DISPATCH AGREED WITH THE FO, THEN THEY WOULD DIVERT. WHEN THE RPTR MADE THE PA THAT THEY WERE DIVERTING TO CVG TO TAKE OFF A DISRUPTIVE PAX, THE WOMAN LEFT HER SEAT AND CAME RUNNING UP TO THE COCKPIT DOOR AND WAS TRYING TO BREAK IT DOWN. THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT DIDN'T HEAR OR SEE IT HAPPENING, BECAUSE SHE WAS BUSY PUTTING THINGS AWAY IN THE GALLEY, SINCE THEY HAD ONLY 15 MINS TO PREPARE THE CABINS FOR LNDG. IT WAS FORTUNATE THAT THE MALE FLT ATTENDANT WAS ON THE L AISLE AND COULD SEE WHAT THE WOMAN WAS TRYING TO DO. HE ACTUALLY TOOK HER FORCIBLY BACK TO HER SEAT, AND SAT NEXT TO HER FOR THE REST OF THE FLT, INCLUDING, ALLEGEDLY, LNDG. WHEN THEY LANDED, THE WOMAN LITERALLY TRIED TO RUN OFF THE PLANE BEFORE ANYONE COULD CATCH HER. INSTEAD, SHE SPRINTED OFF THE PLANE ONLY TO LAND IN THE ARMS OF 1 OF THE 4 SHERIFF'S DEPUTIES WAITING ON THE JETWAY. THE RPTR'S UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE FAA HAS DECIDED TO PROSECUTE HER FOR TRYING TO BREAK INTO THE COCKPIT.

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.