Narrative:

During boarding, flight attendant #1 came to back galley where I was setting up for the service and told me that a female passenger was talking to herself. I asked what she was saying, she said the woman was speaking in spanish and didn't know. I suggested she get a spanish speaking flight attendant to listen in. Flight attendant #1 came back to the galley a few mins later and said the spanish/english speaking passenger sitting near her said she was talking about eating her suitcase. This woman sounded 'mentally unstable' to me and I suggested to flight attendant #1 that she should inform the captain before we departed from the gate so the woman could be removed before the door was closed if the captain so chose. She returned and related that the captain didn't think it sounded like she offered a threat so she could remain on board. During this flight she was in and out of her seat 'wandering' the cabin, and passenger observed her removing her clothes and putting them back on wrong side out, talking to herself, and generally, she was disturbing the passenger seated around her with her loud voice and nonsense conversations. Passenger related to us that they were nervous about her behavior. Flight attendant #2 (a spanish speaking flight attendant) spoke to her on several occasions, telling her to return to her seat, be quiet, and stop disturbing the people around her. Although she would be responsive, she couldn't stay focused on the 'chore' for more than a few mins. About 1 hour prior to landing, she started crawling over the seat backs hopping from one empty seat into another. I called the captain and informed him of this new behavior. He asked us to inform her that if she didn't stay in her seat, we would land in bermuda and let her off. I told him, in my opinion, flight attendant #2 could tell her this, but she wouldn't be able to retain such information for more than a few mins deeming it rather useless, but we would make the effort. Flight attendant #2 related this information to her, and told her we would have to tie her into the seat if she couldn't stay there. She become like a stone, staring straight ahead. Shortly, she was out of her seat and the threats had to be repeated. Passenger seated near her told us that she had been denied boarding on an earlier flight because she appeared drunk and was told to stop drinking and go on our later flight. This woman didn't appear drunk to me. She appeared mentally unstable. We landed without further incident. In the report from the airline, it is stated that she claimed to have mixed alcohol with anti-depressants and her behavior was a result of this. In my opinion, the captain should have had someone speak to her who is capable of discernment and at least had her removed until a capable person could speak with her and make an informed decision about her ability to travel unaccompanied. Also, we don't have enough flight attendants on board when we have a 'healthy' load to assign someone to baby-situation for a 'scary' passenger. This passenger needed constant supervision -- we aren't in the business to provide it and shouldn't be in the position of having to do so. We have no way of knowing the extent of her problems and shouldn't be in a position of trying to second guess her real nature at FL350.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN A300 CABIN CREW WERE CONFRONTED BY A PAX WITH BIZARRE BEHAVIOR.

Narrative: DURING BOARDING, FLT ATTENDANT #1 CAME TO BACK GALLEY WHERE I WAS SETTING UP FOR THE SVC AND TOLD ME THAT A FEMALE PAX WAS TALKING TO HERSELF. I ASKED WHAT SHE WAS SAYING, SHE SAID THE WOMAN WAS SPEAKING IN SPANISH AND DIDN'T KNOW. I SUGGESTED SHE GET A SPANISH SPEAKING FLT ATTENDANT TO LISTEN IN. FLT ATTENDANT #1 CAME BACK TO THE GALLEY A FEW MINS LATER AND SAID THE SPANISH/ENGLISH SPEAKING PAX SITTING NEAR HER SAID SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT EATING HER SUITCASE. THIS WOMAN SOUNDED 'MENTALLY UNSTABLE' TO ME AND I SUGGESTED TO FLT ATTENDANT #1 THAT SHE SHOULD INFORM THE CAPT BEFORE WE DEPARTED FROM THE GATE SO THE WOMAN COULD BE REMOVED BEFORE THE DOOR WAS CLOSED IF THE CAPT SO CHOSE. SHE RETURNED AND RELATED THAT THE CAPT DIDN'T THINK IT SOUNDED LIKE SHE OFFERED A THREAT SO SHE COULD REMAIN ON BOARD. DURING THIS FLT SHE WAS IN AND OUT OF HER SEAT 'WANDERING' THE CABIN, AND PAX OBSERVED HER REMOVING HER CLOTHES AND PUTTING THEM BACK ON WRONG SIDE OUT, TALKING TO HERSELF, AND GENERALLY, SHE WAS DISTURBING THE PAX SEATED AROUND HER WITH HER LOUD VOICE AND NONSENSE CONVERSATIONS. PAX RELATED TO US THAT THEY WERE NERVOUS ABOUT HER BEHAVIOR. FLT ATTENDANT #2 (A SPANISH SPEAKING FLT ATTENDANT) SPOKE TO HER ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, TELLING HER TO RETURN TO HER SEAT, BE QUIET, AND STOP DISTURBING THE PEOPLE AROUND HER. ALTHOUGH SHE WOULD BE RESPONSIVE, SHE COULDN'T STAY FOCUSED ON THE 'CHORE' FOR MORE THAN A FEW MINS. ABOUT 1 HR PRIOR TO LNDG, SHE STARTED CRAWLING OVER THE SEAT BACKS HOPPING FROM ONE EMPTY SEAT INTO ANOTHER. I CALLED THE CAPT AND INFORMED HIM OF THIS NEW BEHAVIOR. HE ASKED US TO INFORM HER THAT IF SHE DIDN'T STAY IN HER SEAT, WE WOULD LAND IN BERMUDA AND LET HER OFF. I TOLD HIM, IN MY OPINION, FLT ATTENDANT #2 COULD TELL HER THIS, BUT SHE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO RETAIN SUCH INFO FOR MORE THAN A FEW MINS DEEMING IT RATHER USELESS, BUT WE WOULD MAKE THE EFFORT. FLT ATTENDANT #2 RELATED THIS INFO TO HER, AND TOLD HER WE WOULD HAVE TO TIE HER INTO THE SEAT IF SHE COULDN'T STAY THERE. SHE BECOME LIKE A STONE, STARING STRAIGHT AHEAD. SHORTLY, SHE WAS OUT OF HER SEAT AND THE THREATS HAD TO BE REPEATED. PAX SEATED NEAR HER TOLD US THAT SHE HAD BEEN DENIED BOARDING ON AN EARLIER FLT BECAUSE SHE APPEARED DRUNK AND WAS TOLD TO STOP DRINKING AND GO ON OUR LATER FLT. THIS WOMAN DIDN'T APPEAR DRUNK TO ME. SHE APPEARED MENTALLY UNSTABLE. WE LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. IN THE RPT FROM THE AIRLINE, IT IS STATED THAT SHE CLAIMED TO HAVE MIXED ALCOHOL WITH ANTI-DEPRESSANTS AND HER BEHAVIOR WAS A RESULT OF THIS. IN MY OPINION, THE CAPT SHOULD HAVE HAD SOMEONE SPEAK TO HER WHO IS CAPABLE OF DISCERNMENT AND AT LEAST HAD HER REMOVED UNTIL A CAPABLE PERSON COULD SPEAK WITH HER AND MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION ABOUT HER ABILITY TO TRAVEL UNACCOMPANIED. ALSO, WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH FLT ATTENDANTS ON BOARD WHEN WE HAVE A 'HEALTHY' LOAD TO ASSIGN SOMEONE TO BABY-SIT FOR A 'SCARY' PAX. THIS PAX NEEDED CONSTANT SUPERVISION -- WE AREN'T IN THE BUSINESS TO PROVIDE IT AND SHOULDN'T BE IN THE POS OF HAVING TO DO SO. WE HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING THE EXTENT OF HER PROBS AND SHOULDN'T BE IN A POS OF TRYING TO SECOND GUESS HER REAL NATURE AT FL350.

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.