Narrative:

During boarding, this passenger kept going back and forth to the lavatory. Due to frozen oxygen pipes, we were 1 hour late departing so people were a little restless. By the third time this passenger went to the lavatory - within a 1/2 hour period -- I began to get a bit suspicious, especially since he was carrying his suitcase in the lavatory with him. After he came out, I checked the lavatory and then informed the captain of my suspicions. The passenger and his wife were originally in row xx, but asked to move back xz. Passenger insisted on keeping his carry-on suitcase near him (later found out there was a bottle of vodka inside). The passenger went in and out of lavatory several more times before we left the gate. He told me his wife had kidney problems. The lavatory light smoke detector went off 3 times, but I never found any signs of 'evidence' (smoke, butts, etc). As we taxied out, they both acted strange. He would seem to get angry and she would comfort him, then she would start crying and angry and he'd hug her. Both the #4 flight attendant and I thought they were a bit 'odd.' during takeoff, the passenger was 'bracing,' holding his ankles and yelling. His wife calmed him down and he seemed fine. As I rolled the carts up the aisle to start the service, the passenger followed me up and asked me when he could have a drink. He went back to his seat then just started screaming 'help me, help me.' I asked his wife if he was ok and again she calmed him down. He started yelling again and ran down the aisle to the lavatory. He was screaming and pounding in the lavatory. At that point, I called the captain and explained the situation and told him I wasn't feeling comfortable with this passenger's behavior. He told me to keep an eye on him and 'call back if there's any more problems -- we can land if necessary.' within 5 mins the passenger was crawling on the floor, yelling, and wouldn't settle down. Captain turned the seatbelt sign on. Passenger complied, but still continued to yell and swing his arms, growling and moaning. He stood up again and screamed 'help me, help me.' at that time, lots of other passenger were looking back. I called the captain, explained what was happening and requested to land and get him off. I felt threatened, I know other passenger felt the same. The passenger was asked to put on his seatbelt. He asked me if we were going to crash. He again started screaming 'help me, get me out' and ran off to the lavatory. He was screaming and banging in the lavatory. I then asked his wife if he was going to be ok and if he'd ever been in an airline 'incident' since he seemed so afraid of flying and staying in a seatbelt. She said he'd never been in a crash or incident and had flown quite often. He was screaming and crying at the top of his lungs in the lavatory, so I asked the wife to go assist him. Also informed her that we'd be landing in detroit to let them off since he was threatening to and scaring both crew and passenger. She apologized and complied. On final descent, I checked the cabin and noticed passenger didn't have his seatbelt on. I asked him to buckle up and he started crying and cowering like a little boy. He buckled up for about 10 seconds then got angry and got up out of his seat yelling. Since we were mins from landing, I grabbed him as he started running up the aisle, but he pushed me out of his way. The #4 flight attendant then went after him, pulling on his clothes to get him to stop. He continued up the aisle, yelling to 'get me off, I want out.' I then called the captain to let him know the passenger was coming up front and was irate. The passenger made it to first class and then fell to the floor. The captain asked if we needed help and the #7 flight attendant and I both said we needed help. The captain came out and the #4 flight attendant ended up restraining him.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PAX ACTS STRANGE DURING A GND DELAY. THE CONDITION ESCALATES AFTER DEP UNTIL RESTRAINT OF THE PAX AND DIVERSION TO AN ENRTE ARPT IS REQUIRED.

Narrative: DURING BOARDING, THIS PAX KEPT GOING BACK AND FORTH TO THE LAVATORY. DUE TO FROZEN OXYGEN PIPES, WE WERE 1 HR LATE DEPARTING SO PEOPLE WERE A LITTLE RESTLESS. BY THE THIRD TIME THIS PAX WENT TO THE LAVATORY - WITHIN A 1/2 HR PERIOD -- I BEGAN TO GET A BIT SUSPICIOUS, ESPECIALLY SINCE HE WAS CARRYING HIS SUITCASE IN THE LAVATORY WITH HIM. AFTER HE CAME OUT, I CHKED THE LAVATORY AND THEN INFORMED THE CAPT OF MY SUSPICIONS. THE PAX AND HIS WIFE WERE ORIGINALLY IN ROW XX, BUT ASKED TO MOVE BACK XZ. PAX INSISTED ON KEEPING HIS CARRY-ON SUITCASE NEAR HIM (LATER FOUND OUT THERE WAS A BOTTLE OF VODKA INSIDE). THE PAX WENT IN AND OUT OF LAVATORY SEVERAL MORE TIMES BEFORE WE LEFT THE GATE. HE TOLD ME HIS WIFE HAD KIDNEY PROBS. THE LAVATORY LIGHT SMOKE DETECTOR WENT OFF 3 TIMES, BUT I NEVER FOUND ANY SIGNS OF 'EVIDENCE' (SMOKE, BUTTS, ETC). AS WE TAXIED OUT, THEY BOTH ACTED STRANGE. HE WOULD SEEM TO GET ANGRY AND SHE WOULD COMFORT HIM, THEN SHE WOULD START CRYING AND ANGRY AND HE'D HUG HER. BOTH THE #4 FLT ATTENDANT AND I THOUGHT THEY WERE A BIT 'ODD.' DURING TKOF, THE PAX WAS 'BRACING,' HOLDING HIS ANKLES AND YELLING. HIS WIFE CALMED HIM DOWN AND HE SEEMED FINE. AS I ROLLED THE CARTS UP THE AISLE TO START THE SVC, THE PAX FOLLOWED ME UP AND ASKED ME WHEN HE COULD HAVE A DRINK. HE WENT BACK TO HIS SEAT THEN JUST STARTED SCREAMING 'HELP ME, HELP ME.' I ASKED HIS WIFE IF HE WAS OK AND AGAIN SHE CALMED HIM DOWN. HE STARTED YELLING AGAIN AND RAN DOWN THE AISLE TO THE LAVATORY. HE WAS SCREAMING AND POUNDING IN THE LAVATORY. AT THAT POINT, I CALLED THE CAPT AND EXPLAINED THE SIT AND TOLD HIM I WASN'T FEELING COMFORTABLE WITH THIS PAX'S BEHAVIOR. HE TOLD ME TO KEEP AN EYE ON HIM AND 'CALL BACK IF THERE'S ANY MORE PROBS -- WE CAN LAND IF NECESSARY.' WITHIN 5 MINS THE PAX WAS CRAWLING ON THE FLOOR, YELLING, AND WOULDN'T SETTLE DOWN. CAPT TURNED THE SEATBELT SIGN ON. PAX COMPLIED, BUT STILL CONTINUED TO YELL AND SWING HIS ARMS, GROWLING AND MOANING. HE STOOD UP AGAIN AND SCREAMED 'HELP ME, HELP ME.' AT THAT TIME, LOTS OF OTHER PAX WERE LOOKING BACK. I CALLED THE CAPT, EXPLAINED WHAT WAS HAPPENING AND REQUESTED TO LAND AND GET HIM OFF. I FELT THREATENED, I KNOW OTHER PAX FELT THE SAME. THE PAX WAS ASKED TO PUT ON HIS SEATBELT. HE ASKED ME IF WE WERE GOING TO CRASH. HE AGAIN STARTED SCREAMING 'HELP ME, GET ME OUT' AND RAN OFF TO THE LAVATORY. HE WAS SCREAMING AND BANGING IN THE LAVATORY. I THEN ASKED HIS WIFE IF HE WAS GOING TO BE OK AND IF HE'D EVER BEEN IN AN AIRLINE 'INCIDENT' SINCE HE SEEMED SO AFRAID OF FLYING AND STAYING IN A SEATBELT. SHE SAID HE'D NEVER BEEN IN A CRASH OR INCIDENT AND HAD FLOWN QUITE OFTEN. HE WAS SCREAMING AND CRYING AT THE TOP OF HIS LUNGS IN THE LAVATORY, SO I ASKED THE WIFE TO GO ASSIST HIM. ALSO INFORMED HER THAT WE'D BE LNDG IN DETROIT TO LET THEM OFF SINCE HE WAS THREATENING TO AND SCARING BOTH CREW AND PAX. SHE APOLOGIZED AND COMPLIED. ON FINAL DSCNT, I CHKED THE CABIN AND NOTICED PAX DIDN'T HAVE HIS SEATBELT ON. I ASKED HIM TO BUCKLE UP AND HE STARTED CRYING AND COWERING LIKE A LITTLE BOY. HE BUCKLED UP FOR ABOUT 10 SECONDS THEN GOT ANGRY AND GOT UP OUT OF HIS SEAT YELLING. SINCE WE WERE MINS FROM LNDG, I GRABBED HIM AS HE STARTED RUNNING UP THE AISLE, BUT HE PUSHED ME OUT OF HIS WAY. THE #4 FLT ATTENDANT THEN WENT AFTER HIM, PULLING ON HIS CLOTHES TO GET HIM TO STOP. HE CONTINUED UP THE AISLE, YELLING TO 'GET ME OFF, I WANT OUT.' I THEN CALLED THE CAPT TO LET HIM KNOW THE PAX WAS COMING UP FRONT AND WAS IRATE. THE PAX MADE IT TO FIRST CLASS AND THEN FELL TO THE FLOOR. THE CAPT ASKED IF WE NEEDED HELP AND THE #7 FLT ATTENDANT AND I BOTH SAID WE NEEDED HELP. THE CAPT CAME OUT AND THE #4 FLT ATTENDANT ENDED UP RESTRAINING HIM.

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.