Narrative:

The passenger seated in seat X seemed to become mentally unbalanced during the latter part of the flight. The passenger began beating his head with plastic coat hangers and repeating things in 3's 'move that circle, yes master,' flashing a small flashlight at other passenger and raising his voice at the only male flight attendant on board. We decided to land in lax to remove this person. Upon landing in lax, mr X ran to the forward entry l-hand door, kicking the cockpit door and cracking the entry door. Mr X showed a knife in his hand. This raging went on for at least 20 mins before the police removed mr X. This passenger had been observed in hnl before boarding by other passenger and crew members as strange looking, appeared to be talking to himself. However, he was dressed ok, and appeared to board aircraft calmly and mentally ok. I am happy that no one got hurt and the decision was made to remove mr X in lax. Supplemental information from acn 496806: the captain asked to meet with me and flight attendant #4 and #7 in the mid galley. He asked what we thought about landing in lax, should we go on to dfw, what we thought, etc. The other 2 flight attendants also thought better safe than sorry and the captain went forward to contact lax dispatch. We had a non revenuing air carrier pilot riding cockpit jump seat and he was seated now in yd. I asked him if he would be willing to assist flight attendant #8 if mr X needed to be restrained prior to arriving at the gate, and he agreed. I gave the captain's flex cuffs to flight attendant #8. At this time, flight attendant #8 told me of a large passenger in zone C who was aware of the problem because the passenger in zg was reseated near him. He had volunteered to assist in anyway he could. I heard 2 big bangs and saw the bottom part of the cockpit door was hanging open and bent and mr X had apparently charged the cockpit door. The captain later informed me that they were bracing it closed from the inside, or it probably would have been broken down. All of a sudden, we finally heard a hugh crash and scuffle and then you could hear mr X crying and whimpering 'I'm just a man, I'm just a man, I'm just a man.' it was very upsetting to hear everything. Once I saw a uniformed officer in the first class galley, I went forward. I was asked to give a verbal report to the police and there was also an fbi agent taking a report from myself and the captain. Callback conversation with reporter acn 495204 revealed the following information: the reporter stated that they had already disarmed the doors when the man came running forward with the knife. She only saw the glint of the knife and only heard later that it was a pocket knife with a 3 inch blade. The first class people were left alone, when he came running up with the knife and after he closed the curtains between first class and the exit, galley area. Fbi told her that the man is still being examined to see if he is competent to stand trial.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MULTIPLE CABIN ATTENDANT RPT, B767-300, HNL-DFW. DERANGED PAX. DIVERT TO LAX. AFTER DOORS DISARMED, PAX RAMMED COCKPIT DOOR, BRANDISHED KNIFE, OPENED PAX DOOR. POLICE, FBI REMOVED HIM.

Narrative: THE PAX SEATED IN SEAT X SEEMED TO BECOME MENTALLY UNBALANCED DURING THE LATTER PART OF THE FLT. THE PAX BEGAN BEATING HIS HEAD WITH PLASTIC COAT HANGERS AND REPEATING THINGS IN 3'S 'MOVE THAT CIRCLE, YES MASTER,' FLASHING A SMALL FLASHLIGHT AT OTHER PAX AND RAISING HIS VOICE AT THE ONLY MALE FLT ATTENDANT ON BOARD. WE DECIDED TO LAND IN LAX TO REMOVE THIS PERSON. UPON LNDG IN LAX, MR X RAN TO THE FORWARD ENTRY L-HAND DOOR, KICKING THE COCKPIT DOOR AND CRACKING THE ENTRY DOOR. MR X SHOWED A KNIFE IN HIS HAND. THIS RAGING WENT ON FOR AT LEAST 20 MINS BEFORE THE POLICE REMOVED MR X. THIS PAX HAD BEEN OBSERVED IN HNL BEFORE BOARDING BY OTHER PAX AND CREW MEMBERS AS STRANGE LOOKING, APPEARED TO BE TALKING TO HIMSELF. HOWEVER, HE WAS DRESSED OK, AND APPEARED TO BOARD ACFT CALMLY AND MENTALLY OK. I AM HAPPY THAT NO ONE GOT HURT AND THE DECISION WAS MADE TO REMOVE MR X IN LAX. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 496806: THE CAPT ASKED TO MEET WITH ME AND FLT ATTENDANT #4 AND #7 IN THE MID GALLEY. HE ASKED WHAT WE THOUGHT ABOUT LNDG IN LAX, SHOULD WE GO ON TO DFW, WHAT WE THOUGHT, ETC. THE OTHER 2 FLT ATTENDANTS ALSO THOUGHT BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY AND THE CAPT WENT FORWARD TO CONTACT LAX DISPATCH. WE HAD A NON REVENUING ACR PLT RIDING COCKPIT JUMP SEAT AND HE WAS SEATED NOW IN YD. I ASKED HIM IF HE WOULD BE WILLING TO ASSIST FLT ATTENDANT #8 IF MR X NEEDED TO BE RESTRAINED PRIOR TO ARRIVING AT THE GATE, AND HE AGREED. I GAVE THE CAPT'S FLEX CUFFS TO FLT ATTENDANT #8. AT THIS TIME, FLT ATTENDANT #8 TOLD ME OF A LARGE PAX IN ZONE C WHO WAS AWARE OF THE PROB BECAUSE THE PAX IN ZG WAS RESEATED NEAR HIM. HE HAD VOLUNTEERED TO ASSIST IN ANYWAY HE COULD. I HEARD 2 BIG BANGS AND SAW THE BOTTOM PART OF THE COCKPIT DOOR WAS HANGING OPEN AND BENT AND MR X HAD APPARENTLY CHARGED THE COCKPIT DOOR. THE CAPT LATER INFORMED ME THAT THEY WERE BRACING IT CLOSED FROM THE INSIDE, OR IT PROBABLY WOULD HAVE BEEN BROKEN DOWN. ALL OF A SUDDEN, WE FINALLY HEARD A HUGH CRASH AND SCUFFLE AND THEN YOU COULD HEAR MR X CRYING AND WHIMPERING 'I'M JUST A MAN, I'M JUST A MAN, I'M JUST A MAN.' IT WAS VERY UPSETTING TO HEAR EVERYTHING. ONCE I SAW A UNIFORMED OFFICER IN THE FIRST CLASS GALLEY, I WENT FORWARD. I WAS ASKED TO GIVE A VERBAL RPT TO THE POLICE AND THERE WAS ALSO AN FBI AGENT TAKING A RPT FROM MYSELF AND THE CAPT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR ACN 495204 REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT THEY HAD ALREADY DISARMED THE DOORS WHEN THE MAN CAME RUNNING FORWARD WITH THE KNIFE. SHE ONLY SAW THE GLINT OF THE KNIFE AND ONLY HEARD LATER THAT IT WAS A POCKET KNIFE WITH A 3 INCH BLADE. THE FIRST CLASS PEOPLE WERE LEFT ALONE, WHEN HE CAME RUNNING UP WITH THE KNIFE AND AFTER HE CLOSED THE CURTAINS BTWN FIRST CLASS AND THE EXIT, GALLEY AREA. FBI TOLD HER THAT THE MAN IS STILL BEING EXAMINED TO SEE IF HE IS COMPETENT TO STAND TRIAL.

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.