Narrative:

Flight XXX was operating lga-smf with an intermediate scheduled stop in msp. While doing a cabin check after boarding at msp, one of the flight attendants reported that a person who appeared to have been drinking was seated in an exit row, seat xd. The lead flight attendant reported this to me. I suggested she move him, but he became uncooperative. I spoke personally with the passenger, mr X. I asked him if he had been drinking. He said yes. At the time I spoke to him, he appeared to be in control of his faculties. He also said that he was on his way to his sister's funeral and that he had just been in a major automatic wreck. His leg hurt him badly from the wreck. That is apparently why he was seated at the exit row. I proposed that he situation in another (non exit row) location for takeoff and landing, and that during flight he could situation at the exit row to rest his leg. That was agreeable to everyone. We pushed back, taxied out, but were delayed for a long time due to heavy outbound traffic. During our situation at the runway 12L deice pad/taxiway complex, the lead flight attendant came up and said the same passenger was out of his new seat and had reseated himself at the exit row, claiming that we were already airborne (which we were not). While she was on the flight deck, we all heard argument noises coming from the passenger cabin. The #1 left immediately. Flight attendant #2 came forward, sobbing. She said she had an altercation with the disruptive passenger. I asked her if she would like to be seated in the cockpit to recover her composure, as she was crying hard, visibly upset. I asked first officer yy to inform msp ground control that we would need to remain parked at our present location for a few mins, as we had passenger up in the cabin. The brake was checked set and I turned the aircraft over to first officer yy. Numerous people were standing -- crew and passenger -- as I entered the cabin. I once again asked the lead flight attendant to have the disruptive passenger seated away from the exit row. I asked the armed corrections escort, mr Y, whom I had introduced myself to early in the boarding process, to monitor the disruptive passenger while we returned to the gate. I made a verbal request to the other passenger and crew to be seated and told them we would return to the gate. The situation was calming down. As we walked forward, I asked lead flight attendant #1 to secure the cabin for taxi to the ramp. Upon return to the cockpit, I asked the first officer to request security and a flight attendant supervisor to meet the aircraft, and clearance from ground control to return to gate X. Flight attendant #2 was still visibly shaken, so I asked her to remain in the jump seat for the taxi back to the gate. We parked normally and airport police met the aircraft along with ground agents. The disruptive passenger was removed with his cabin bag. He was apparently questioned by msp police and a report taken. While waiting for the in-flight office representative to arrive (they apparently were in a meeting), I consoled flight attendant #2, made an announcement to the passenger, and had first officer yy coordinate our fuel/passenger load with mr Z in dispatch. I asked flight attendant #2 if she wanted to continue on. She elected to remain in msp. We gave a short briefing to the passenger about what had occurred, ran checklists, and departed for smf. I subsequently learned from passenger verbal comments and written affidavits that are attached to this report, that flight attendant #2 acted totally in a defensive manner. This passenger had moved in a very hostile, verbally abusive and threatening manner towards not only her personally, but also the forward cabin and cockpit portion of the aircraft. Other passenger were alarmed about their personal safety and were very pleased she had intervened. Passenger and crew alike owe flight attendant #2 debt of gratitude for intervening decisively. It is important to recall that she was physically threatened while alone. Flight attendant #3 and #4 were at their aft crew stations and #1 was in the cockpit. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that the intoxicated man had started pushing his way forward to his seat on taxi, passed by his seat and then started heading up towards the cockpit, trying to push flight attendant #2 out of the way. He was threatening her and the passenger. She finally slapped him in the face. At this point, the purser came out of the cockpit and dealt with the man, while cabin attendant #2 went and sat in the cockpit. When they arrived at the gate, the airline security and police got on to arrest him. He verbally abused them as well. The man was arrested and spent a few nights in jail. The airline took flight attendant #2 off the line until further investigation. She had 38 witness reports testifying that she did the right thing by slapping the intoxicated man and keeping him from entering the cockpit.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT RPT, A320, LGA-MSP-SMF. INTOXICATED PAX WITH HURT LEG MOVED FROM EXIT ROW, RETURNED TO EXIT ROW ON TAXI, VERBALLY ABUSIVE, CABIN CREW INTERVENTION. RETURN GATE. PAX REMOVED.

Narrative: FLT XXX WAS OPERATING LGA-SMF WITH AN INTERMEDIATE SCHEDULED STOP IN MSP. WHILE DOING A CABIN CHK AFTER BOARDING AT MSP, ONE OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS RPTED THAT A PERSON WHO APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN DRINKING WAS SEATED IN AN EXIT ROW, SEAT XD. THE LEAD FLT ATTENDANT RPTED THIS TO ME. I SUGGESTED SHE MOVE HIM, BUT HE BECAME UNCOOPERATIVE. I SPOKE PERSONALLY WITH THE PAX, MR X. I ASKED HIM IF HE HAD BEEN DRINKING. HE SAID YES. AT THE TIME I SPOKE TO HIM, HE APPEARED TO BE IN CTL OF HIS FACULTIES. HE ALSO SAID THAT HE WAS ON HIS WAY TO HIS SISTER'S FUNERAL AND THAT HE HAD JUST BEEN IN A MAJOR AUTO WRECK. HIS LEG HURT HIM BADLY FROM THE WRECK. THAT IS APPARENTLY WHY HE WAS SEATED AT THE EXIT ROW. I PROPOSED THAT HE SIT IN ANOTHER (NON EXIT ROW) LOCATION FOR TKOF AND LNDG, AND THAT DURING FLT HE COULD SIT AT THE EXIT ROW TO REST HIS LEG. THAT WAS AGREEABLE TO EVERYONE. WE PUSHED BACK, TAXIED OUT, BUT WERE DELAYED FOR A LONG TIME DUE TO HVY OUTBOUND TFC. DURING OUR SIT AT THE RWY 12L DEICE PAD/TXWY COMPLEX, THE LEAD FLT ATTENDANT CAME UP AND SAID THE SAME PAX WAS OUT OF HIS NEW SEAT AND HAD RESEATED HIMSELF AT THE EXIT ROW, CLAIMING THAT WE WERE ALREADY AIRBORNE (WHICH WE WERE NOT). WHILE SHE WAS ON THE FLT DECK, WE ALL HEARD ARGUMENT NOISES COMING FROM THE PAX CABIN. THE #1 LEFT IMMEDIATELY. FLT ATTENDANT #2 CAME FORWARD, SOBBING. SHE SAID SHE HAD AN ALTERCATION WITH THE DISRUPTIVE PAX. I ASKED HER IF SHE WOULD LIKE TO BE SEATED IN THE COCKPIT TO RECOVER HER COMPOSURE, AS SHE WAS CRYING HARD, VISIBLY UPSET. I ASKED FO YY TO INFORM MSP GND CTL THAT WE WOULD NEED TO REMAIN PARKED AT OUR PRESENT LOCATION FOR A FEW MINS, AS WE HAD PAX UP IN THE CABIN. THE BRAKE WAS CHKED SET AND I TURNED THE ACFT OVER TO FO YY. NUMEROUS PEOPLE WERE STANDING -- CREW AND PAX -- AS I ENTERED THE CABIN. I ONCE AGAIN ASKED THE LEAD FLT ATTENDANT TO HAVE THE DISRUPTIVE PAX SEATED AWAY FROM THE EXIT ROW. I ASKED THE ARMED CORRECTIONS ESCORT, MR Y, WHOM I HAD INTRODUCED MYSELF TO EARLY IN THE BOARDING PROCESS, TO MONITOR THE DISRUPTIVE PAX WHILE WE RETURNED TO THE GATE. I MADE A VERBAL REQUEST TO THE OTHER PAX AND CREW TO BE SEATED AND TOLD THEM WE WOULD RETURN TO THE GATE. THE SIT WAS CALMING DOWN. AS WE WALKED FORWARD, I ASKED LEAD FLT ATTENDANT #1 TO SECURE THE CABIN FOR TAXI TO THE RAMP. UPON RETURN TO THE COCKPIT, I ASKED THE FO TO REQUEST SECURITY AND A FLT ATTENDANT SUPVR TO MEET THE ACFT, AND CLRNC FROM GND CTL TO RETURN TO GATE X. FLT ATTENDANT #2 WAS STILL VISIBLY SHAKEN, SO I ASKED HER TO REMAIN IN THE JUMP SEAT FOR THE TAXI BACK TO THE GATE. WE PARKED NORMALLY AND ARPT POLICE MET THE ACFT ALONG WITH GND AGENTS. THE DISRUPTIVE PAX WAS REMOVED WITH HIS CABIN BAG. HE WAS APPARENTLY QUESTIONED BY MSP POLICE AND A RPT TAKEN. WHILE WAITING FOR THE INFLT OFFICE REPRESENTATIVE TO ARRIVE (THEY APPARENTLY WERE IN A MEETING), I CONSOLED FLT ATTENDANT #2, MADE AN ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE PAX, AND HAD FO YY COORDINATE OUR FUEL/PAX LOAD WITH MR Z IN DISPATCH. I ASKED FLT ATTENDANT #2 IF SHE WANTED TO CONTINUE ON. SHE ELECTED TO REMAIN IN MSP. WE GAVE A SHORT BRIEFING TO THE PAX ABOUT WHAT HAD OCCURRED, RAN CHKLISTS, AND DEPARTED FOR SMF. I SUBSEQUENTLY LEARNED FROM PAX VERBAL COMMENTS AND WRITTEN AFFIDAVITS THAT ARE ATTACHED TO THIS RPT, THAT FLT ATTENDANT #2 ACTED TOTALLY IN A DEFENSIVE MANNER. THIS PAX HAD MOVED IN A VERY HOSTILE, VERBALLY ABUSIVE AND THREATENING MANNER TOWARDS NOT ONLY HER PERSONALLY, BUT ALSO THE FORWARD CABIN AND COCKPIT PORTION OF THE ACFT. OTHER PAX WERE ALARMED ABOUT THEIR PERSONAL SAFETY AND WERE VERY PLEASED SHE HAD INTERVENED. PAX AND CREW ALIKE OWE FLT ATTENDANT #2 DEBT OF GRATITUDE FOR INTERVENING DECISIVELY. IT IS IMPORTANT TO RECALL THAT SHE WAS PHYSICALLY THREATENED WHILE ALONE. FLT ATTENDANT #3 AND #4 WERE AT THEIR AFT CREW STATIONS AND #1 WAS IN THE COCKPIT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT THE INTOXICATED MAN HAD STARTED PUSHING HIS WAY FORWARD TO HIS SEAT ON TAXI, PASSED BY HIS SEAT AND THEN STARTED HEADING UP TOWARDS THE COCKPIT, TRYING TO PUSH FLT ATTENDANT #2 OUT OF THE WAY. HE WAS THREATENING HER AND THE PAX. SHE FINALLY SLAPPED HIM IN THE FACE. AT THIS POINT, THE PURSER CAME OUT OF THE COCKPIT AND DEALT WITH THE MAN, WHILE CABIN ATTENDANT #2 WENT AND SAT IN THE COCKPIT. WHEN THEY ARRIVED AT THE GATE, THE AIRLINE SECURITY AND POLICE GOT ON TO ARREST HIM. HE VERBALLY ABUSED THEM AS WELL. THE MAN WAS ARRESTED AND SPENT A FEW NIGHTS IN JAIL. THE AIRLINE TOOK FLT ATTENDANT #2 OFF THE LINE UNTIL FURTHER INVESTIGATION. SHE HAD 38 WITNESS RPTS TESTIFYING THAT SHE DID THE RIGHT THING BY SLAPPING THE INTOXICATED MAN AND KEEPING HIM FROM ENTERING 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.