Narrative:

Passenger X was our passenger on our flight on sep/xa/00, jfk-gig. He drank a lot, but was an amiable passenger. Mr X returned with us on sep/xb/00, gig to jfk. Again he drank a lot, but remained calm, quiet and friendly. After meal and duty free service were completed, flight attendant #4 came to first class to inform me mr X was now sitting on the floor at our flight attendant crew rest area. Previously he had nearly fallen on top of flight attendant #4 in the galley. I approached mr X and asked if he was all right. He said he was anxious and depressed. I asked him if he wanted to talk about it. My crew pitched in. They watched the cabin. They started paperwork. I spent the next 2+ hours talking with mr X. He expressed great sadness in his life and feelings of depression. He indicated he was an alcoholic (off the wagon) who began drinking again on our trip on sep/xa/00. He had been sober 125 days. He indicated he wanted to hurt himself on several occasions during our conversation. He said he was on prozac. I mentioned combining prozac with alcohol was not a good idea. Mr X said he had been abusive on a pervious X airline domestic flight. He was drunk. He hit a wall and seat backs. That flight the captain came back and talked with him. He said the fbi removed him from the plane. Tonight, mr X told me he had a knife in his briefcase, and he wanted to use it on himself. I told him, 'we will have none of that. I do not allow my flight attendants, crew, or passenger to be threatened.' I asked to see the knife. He ignored my request. As time passed, mr X calmed down. He returned to his seat and put on his headphones. A few mins later, flight attendant #8 informed me he had a knife out. I checked. The knife was gone. A min later. Our flight attendant #4 said, 'he's holding a swiss army knife in his left hand, tossing it back and forth between both hands. This time, I went to him. I saw him trying to hide the knife. I reached out for it and said, 'give me that. You know better than that. Shame on you.' he smiled, and gave me the knife. I took it to the cockpit. The captain had been advised of entire incident from the beginning. Flight attendant #9 advised me that mr X has been on previous flts on our airline, and behaved the same way. He got drunk. One of the flight attendants spent a lot of the time talking to him. He then calmed down. He had no knife previously. My concern is, now mr X is carrying and bandying around a swiss army knife. He opens and closes it. He pretends to hide it. He admits he had been violent on flts before. My recommendation is, at minimum, refuse to serve mr X any alcohol, and secondly, check his carry-on bags for weapons. Once we landed, mr X rushed off flight. I informed the agent of the incident in case mr X claimed his knife. I do not know what he chose to do once he left our flight. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that the man was in business class. He sat on the floor in the crew rest area, which consisted of some curtained-off seats in business class. The crew couldn't use the crew rest seats for their breaks, because she was sitting on a seat, and the man was sitting on the floor, talking for 2 1/2 hours. The man had been refused more alcohol several hours earlier, before falling on the galley flight attendant. She believes that he was just playing a game with the swiss army knife, and probably wasn't trying to injure himself. She never asked the captain to call for police or the fbi to meet the flight.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CABIN ATTENDANT RPT, B767-200, GIG-JFK. MAN FLEW ROUND TRIP WITH SAME CREW, INTOXICATED, DEPRESSED, SAT IN CREW REST AREA, POCKET KNIFE CONFISCATED. HISTORY OF VIOLENCE ON OTHER FLTS.

Narrative: PAX X WAS OUR PAX ON OUR FLT ON SEP/XA/00, JFK-GIG. HE DRANK A LOT, BUT WAS AN AMIABLE PAX. MR X RETURNED WITH US ON SEP/XB/00, GIG TO JFK. AGAIN HE DRANK A LOT, BUT REMAINED CALM, QUIET AND FRIENDLY. AFTER MEAL AND DUTY FREE SVC WERE COMPLETED, FLT ATTENDANT #4 CAME TO FIRST CLASS TO INFORM ME MR X WAS NOW SITTING ON THE FLOOR AT OUR FLT ATTENDANT CREW REST AREA. PREVIOUSLY HE HAD NEARLY FALLEN ON TOP OF FLT ATTENDANT #4 IN THE GALLEY. I APCHED MR X AND ASKED IF HE WAS ALL RIGHT. HE SAID HE WAS ANXIOUS AND DEPRESSED. I ASKED HIM IF HE WANTED TO TALK ABOUT IT. MY CREW PITCHED IN. THEY WATCHED THE CABIN. THEY STARTED PAPERWORK. I SPENT THE NEXT 2+ HRS TALKING WITH MR X. HE EXPRESSED GREAT SADNESS IN HIS LIFE AND FEELINGS OF DEPRESSION. HE INDICATED HE WAS AN ALCOHOLIC (OFF THE WAGON) WHO BEGAN DRINKING AGAIN ON OUR TRIP ON SEP/XA/00. HE HAD BEEN SOBER 125 DAYS. HE INDICATED HE WANTED TO HURT HIMSELF ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS DURING OUR CONVERSATION. HE SAID HE WAS ON PROZAC. I MENTIONED COMBINING PROZAC WITH ALCOHOL WAS NOT A GOOD IDEA. MR X SAID HE HAD BEEN ABUSIVE ON A PERVIOUS X AIRLINE DOMESTIC FLT. HE WAS DRUNK. HE HIT A WALL AND SEAT BACKS. THAT FLT THE CAPT CAME BACK AND TALKED WITH HIM. HE SAID THE FBI REMOVED HIM FROM THE PLANE. TONIGHT, MR X TOLD ME HE HAD A KNIFE IN HIS BRIEFCASE, AND HE WANTED TO USE IT ON HIMSELF. I TOLD HIM, 'WE WILL HAVE NONE OF THAT. I DO NOT ALLOW MY FLT ATTENDANTS, CREW, OR PAX TO BE THREATENED.' I ASKED TO SEE THE KNIFE. HE IGNORED MY REQUEST. AS TIME PASSED, MR X CALMED DOWN. HE RETURNED TO HIS SEAT AND PUT ON HIS HEADPHONES. A FEW MINS LATER, FLT ATTENDANT #8 INFORMED ME HE HAD A KNIFE OUT. I CHKED. THE KNIFE WAS GONE. A MIN LATER. OUR FLT ATTENDANT #4 SAID, 'HE'S HOLDING A SWISS ARMY KNIFE IN HIS L HAND, TOSSING IT BACK AND FORTH BTWN BOTH HANDS. THIS TIME, I WENT TO HIM. I SAW HIM TRYING TO HIDE THE KNIFE. I REACHED OUT FOR IT AND SAID, 'GIVE ME THAT. YOU KNOW BETTER THAN THAT. SHAME ON YOU.' HE SMILED, AND GAVE ME THE KNIFE. I TOOK IT TO THE COCKPIT. THE CAPT HAD BEEN ADVISED OF ENTIRE INCIDENT FROM THE BEGINNING. FLT ATTENDANT #9 ADVISED ME THAT MR X HAS BEEN ON PREVIOUS FLTS ON OUR AIRLINE, AND BEHAVED THE SAME WAY. HE GOT DRUNK. ONE OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS SPENT A LOT OF THE TIME TALKING TO HIM. HE THEN CALMED DOWN. HE HAD NO KNIFE PREVIOUSLY. MY CONCERN IS, NOW MR X IS CARRYING AND BANDYING AROUND A SWISS ARMY KNIFE. HE OPENS AND CLOSES IT. HE PRETENDS TO HIDE IT. HE ADMITS HE HAD BEEN VIOLENT ON FLTS BEFORE. MY RECOMMENDATION IS, AT MINIMUM, REFUSE TO SERVE MR X ANY ALCOHOL, AND SECONDLY, CHK HIS CARRY-ON BAGS FOR WEAPONS. ONCE WE LANDED, MR X RUSHED OFF FLT. I INFORMED THE AGENT OF THE INCIDENT IN CASE MR X CLAIMED HIS KNIFE. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT HE CHOSE TO DO ONCE HE LEFT OUR FLT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT THE MAN WAS IN BUSINESS CLASS. HE SAT ON THE FLOOR IN THE CREW REST AREA, WHICH CONSISTED OF SOME CURTAINED-OFF SEATS IN BUSINESS CLASS. THE CREW COULDN'T USE THE CREW REST SEATS FOR THEIR BREAKS, BECAUSE SHE WAS SITTING ON A SEAT, AND THE MAN WAS SITTING ON THE FLOOR, TALKING FOR 2 1/2 HRS. THE MAN HAD BEEN REFUSED MORE ALCOHOL SEVERAL HRS EARLIER, BEFORE FALLING ON THE GALLEY FLT ATTENDANT. SHE BELIEVES THAT HE WAS JUST PLAYING A GAME WITH THE SWISS ARMY KNIFE, AND PROBABLY WASN'T TRYING TO INJURE HIMSELF. SHE NEVER ASKED THE CAPT TO CALL FOR POLICE OR THE FBI TO MEET THE FLT.

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.