Narrative:

While flying flight from mia to den. Just as we passed overhead tul, I got a call from the #1 flight attendant informing me that a guy in coach had just flashed an FAA identify and instructed the flight attendants to get control of the cabin and get these people in their seats because the seat belt sign was on. I questioned them as to who this guy was and they didn't know. He was an older guy with a beard, wearing a harley davidson t-shirt. I told them I didn't have any knowledge or paperwork of a fed on board, just the 2 'fam's'. They said they were not told of any either, and he didn't act like FAA. I reminded them about the memos we were getting about 3 months ago about lost/stolen FAA credentials and maybe we had a fake on board. I told them to keep an eye on him. Later, they called back and said he may be for real because he wanted to talk to the crew when we got to den. I told them I would like to talk to him also and ask the 'fam's' to hold back a few mins after we got to den. As the passenger were getting off the flight, the first officer was standing in the door saying good-bye. When he went by, he told the first officer, 'I need to see you and the entire crew on the jet bridge.' I then went out on the jet bridge where he and the 2 'fam's' were waiting for me. He handed me his FAA identify and it was real, so I let the 'fam's' go. He said that he was air carrier Y assistant poi, on a full fare coach ticket returning from his recurrent training, so technically, he was on duty. Then, he started to tell me that he could fine air carrier $11000 for each occurrence of passenger leaving their seat when the seat belt sign was on. He gave me the impression that he wanted the flight attendants to confront each passenger that got up while the seat belt sign was on. He then said he would overlook the incident if I would talk to the flight attendants. I told him that 'we're going to be riding to the hotel together and it would be a topic of discussion,' and it was. This guy brought up some very real security issues by his behavior. It's common sense that post sep/tue, you don't pull that kind of stunt and surprise the working crew in that manner. He also may have crossed the line when he started giving orders to the crew when they fully complied with company procedures. His actions can be viewed as interference and or intimidation by his position with the FAA. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the flight had encountered light turbulence for an extended period. Effort was made to find smoother air, but it was unsuccessful, so the seat belt sign was on for an extended period. A beverage service had been completed so passenger had a need to use the lavatories in spite of the precautionary seat belt sign use. The flight attendants, who were a very experienced crew, made appropriate announcements when passenger ignored the sign. The flight attendants were so intimidated by the person that they made a request to 'get the seat belt sign off as soon as possible.'

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR CREW IS CONFRONTED INFLT BY, WHAT TURNS OUT TO BE, AN FAA ASSISTANT POI FOR ANOTHER CARRIER IN A MANNER THAT MADE THEM SUSPECT THAT HE MAY BE FAKE WITH FAKE CREDENTIALS. IN THEIR CONCERN FOR SECURITY THE CREW ASKED 'FAM'S' TO MONITOR THE SIT AFTER LNDG UNTIL IT WAS RESOLVED. THE 'FAM'S' WERE NOT NEEDED OR IDENTED.

Narrative: WHILE FLYING FLT FROM MIA TO DEN. JUST AS WE PASSED OVERHEAD TUL, I GOT A CALL FROM THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT INFORMING ME THAT A GUY IN COACH HAD JUST FLASHED AN FAA IDENT AND INSTRUCTED THE FLT ATTENDANTS TO GET CTL OF THE CABIN AND GET THESE PEOPLE IN THEIR SEATS BECAUSE THE SEAT BELT SIGN WAS ON. I QUESTIONED THEM AS TO WHO THIS GUY WAS AND THEY DIDN'T KNOW. HE WAS AN OLDER GUY WITH A BEARD, WEARING A HARLEY DAVIDSON T-SHIRT. I TOLD THEM I DIDN'T HAVE ANY KNOWLEDGE OR PAPERWORK OF A FED ON BOARD, JUST THE 2 'FAM'S'. THEY SAID THEY WERE NOT TOLD OF ANY EITHER, AND HE DIDN'T ACT LIKE FAA. I REMINDED THEM ABOUT THE MEMOS WE WERE GETTING ABOUT 3 MONTHS AGO ABOUT LOST/STOLEN FAA CREDENTIALS AND MAYBE WE HAD A FAKE ON BOARD. I TOLD THEM TO KEEP AN EYE ON HIM. LATER, THEY CALLED BACK AND SAID HE MAY BE FOR REAL BECAUSE HE WANTED TO TALK TO THE CREW WHEN WE GOT TO DEN. I TOLD THEM I WOULD LIKE TO TALK TO HIM ALSO AND ASK THE 'FAM'S' TO HOLD BACK A FEW MINS AFTER WE GOT TO DEN. AS THE PAX WERE GETTING OFF THE FLT, THE FO WAS STANDING IN THE DOOR SAYING GOOD-BYE. WHEN HE WENT BY, HE TOLD THE FO, 'I NEED TO SEE YOU AND THE ENTIRE CREW ON THE JET BRIDGE.' I THEN WENT OUT ON THE JET BRIDGE WHERE HE AND THE 2 'FAM'S' WERE WAITING FOR ME. HE HANDED ME HIS FAA IDENT AND IT WAS REAL, SO I LET THE 'FAM'S' GO. HE SAID THAT HE WAS ACR Y ASSISTANT POI, ON A FULL FARE COACH TICKET RETURNING FROM HIS RECURRENT TRAINING, SO TECHNICALLY, HE WAS ON DUTY. THEN, HE STARTED TO TELL ME THAT HE COULD FINE ACR $11000 FOR EACH OCCURRENCE OF PAX LEAVING THEIR SEAT WHEN THE SEAT BELT SIGN WAS ON. HE GAVE ME THE IMPRESSION THAT HE WANTED THE FLT ATTENDANTS TO CONFRONT EACH PAX THAT GOT UP WHILE THE SEAT BELT SIGN WAS ON. HE THEN SAID HE WOULD OVERLOOK THE INCIDENT IF I WOULD TALK TO THE FLT ATTENDANTS. I TOLD HIM THAT 'WE'RE GOING TO BE RIDING TO THE HOTEL TOGETHER AND IT WOULD BE A TOPIC OF DISCUSSION,' AND IT WAS. THIS GUY BROUGHT UP SOME VERY REAL SECURITY ISSUES BY HIS BEHAVIOR. IT'S COMMON SENSE THAT POST SEP/TUE, YOU DON'T PULL THAT KIND OF STUNT AND SURPRISE THE WORKING CREW IN THAT MANNER. HE ALSO MAY HAVE CROSSED THE LINE WHEN HE STARTED GIVING ORDERS TO THE CREW WHEN THEY FULLY COMPLIED WITH COMPANY PROCS. HIS ACTIONS CAN BE VIEWED AS INTERFERENCE AND OR INTIMIDATION BY HIS POS WITH THE FAA. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE FLT HAD ENCOUNTERED LIGHT TURB FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD. EFFORT WAS MADE TO FIND SMOOTHER AIR, BUT IT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL, SO THE SEAT BELT SIGN WAS ON FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD. A BEVERAGE SVC HAD BEEN COMPLETED SO PAX HAD A NEED TO USE THE LAVATORIES IN SPITE OF THE PRECAUTIONARY SEAT BELT SIGN USE. THE FLT ATTENDANTS, WHO WERE A VERY EXPERIENCED CREW, MADE APPROPRIATE ANNOUNCEMENTS WHEN PAX IGNORED THE SIGN. THE FLT ATTENDANTS WERE SO INTIMIDATED BY THE PERSON THAT THEY MADE A REQUEST TO 'GET THE SEAT BELT SIGN OFF AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.'

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.