Narrative:

Approximately 15 mins into our flight, while passing out custom forms aft forward with the seatbelt sign on, I stopped at row X and noticed a child was not buckled in. As the mother put her seatbelt on the child she began to cry. I knelt down to speak to the child. At this point I was punched in my back. I stood up and turned around and asked the person lying down if she had hit me. She did not respond, so I lifted the blanket from her head and repeated 'excuse me miss, but did you hit me?' she rose up and punched me again in the chest. I stepped back in shock. Flight attendant #2 came walking very fast up the aisle asking, 'why did she hit you?' I told him I did not know. I told the passenger that she was off the plane. I walked up to the first class galley to inform the purser of the incident. He asked me if I wanted her off the plane. I said yes. He called the captain and told him a flight attendant was hit twice and that we wanted to go back to miami. After he hung up, the passenger came up to the first class galley. She apologized and said that 'I am very tired. I have nothing against you so please forgive me. I did not know what I was doing.' I told her that she could not just hit someone because she was tired. She then asked for someone who spoke spanish. The #2 flight attendant came up to speak to her and he then asked if we wanted her to be seated. The purser said yes and that he had already asked her to situation down, which of course she ignored. The #2 flight attendant told her again to be seated. The #2 flight attendant said that he had seen her hit me twice and that he could not believe it. He then went to the back of the plane. I asked the purser if we were going back to miami, why hadn't the captain made an announcement? The purser then made a PA and then the captain made his announcements advising the passenger to stay seated after we land. The purser made a second announcement, something to the effect that it was not a mechanical problem. As I walked to the back galley the passenger sitting in row Y gave me such a hateful look. Company security and our captain could not have been more wonderful. I think they handled the situation very professionally. I was questioned by miami dade several times, company security, the fbi and, by phone, I spoke with the assistant district attorney, who informed me criminal intent was very hard to prove. Unfortunately, our market is well known to flight attendants as one where passenger tend to be very noncompliant and disrespectful to crew members. I was told by the fbi and the da that this woman will be black listed from ever flying on my company again. I hope my company will hold to that promise.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B757 FLT ATTENDANT RPTED THAT, SHORTLY AFTER DEPARTING MIA, SHE WAS SLUGGED TWICE BY THE SAME PAX. THE CAPT RETURNED TO MIA TO OFFLOAD THIS PAX.

Narrative: APPROX 15 MINS INTO OUR FLT, WHILE PASSING OUT CUSTOM FORMS AFT FORWARD WITH THE SEATBELT SIGN ON, I STOPPED AT ROW X AND NOTICED A CHILD WAS NOT BUCKLED IN. AS THE MOTHER PUT HER SEATBELT ON THE CHILD SHE BEGAN TO CRY. I KNELT DOWN TO SPEAK TO THE CHILD. AT THIS POINT I WAS PUNCHED IN MY BACK. I STOOD UP AND TURNED AROUND AND ASKED THE PERSON LYING DOWN IF SHE HAD HIT ME. SHE DID NOT RESPOND, SO I LIFTED THE BLANKET FROM HER HEAD AND REPEATED 'EXCUSE ME MISS, BUT DID YOU HIT ME?' SHE ROSE UP AND PUNCHED ME AGAIN IN THE CHEST. I STEPPED BACK IN SHOCK. FLT ATTENDANT #2 CAME WALKING VERY FAST UP THE AISLE ASKING, 'WHY DID SHE HIT YOU?' I TOLD HIM I DID NOT KNOW. I TOLD THE PAX THAT SHE WAS OFF THE PLANE. I WALKED UP TO THE FIRST CLASS GALLEY TO INFORM THE PURSER OF THE INCIDENT. HE ASKED ME IF I WANTED HER OFF THE PLANE. I SAID YES. HE CALLED THE CAPT AND TOLD HIM A FLT ATTENDANT WAS HIT TWICE AND THAT WE WANTED TO GO BACK TO MIAMI. AFTER HE HUNG UP, THE PAX CAME UP TO THE FIRST CLASS GALLEY. SHE APOLOGIZED AND SAID THAT 'I AM VERY TIRED. I HAVE NOTHING AGAINST YOU SO PLEASE FORGIVE ME. I DID NOT KNOW WHAT I WAS DOING.' I TOLD HER THAT SHE COULD NOT JUST HIT SOMEONE BECAUSE SHE WAS TIRED. SHE THEN ASKED FOR SOMEONE WHO SPOKE SPANISH. THE #2 FLT ATTENDANT CAME UP TO SPEAK TO HER AND HE THEN ASKED IF WE WANTED HER TO BE SEATED. THE PURSER SAID YES AND THAT HE HAD ALREADY ASKED HER TO SIT DOWN, WHICH OF COURSE SHE IGNORED. THE #2 FLT ATTENDANT TOLD HER AGAIN TO BE SEATED. THE #2 FLT ATTENDANT SAID THAT HE HAD SEEN HER HIT ME TWICE AND THAT HE COULD NOT BELIEVE IT. HE THEN WENT TO THE BACK OF THE PLANE. I ASKED THE PURSER IF WE WERE GOING BACK TO MIAMI, WHY HADN'T THE CAPT MADE AN ANNOUNCEMENT? THE PURSER THEN MADE A PA AND THEN THE CAPT MADE HIS ANNOUNCEMENTS ADVISING THE PAX TO STAY SEATED AFTER WE LAND. THE PURSER MADE A SECOND ANNOUNCEMENT, SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT THAT IT WAS NOT A MECHANICAL PROB. AS I WALKED TO THE BACK GALLEY THE PAX SITTING IN ROW Y GAVE ME SUCH A HATEFUL LOOK. COMPANY SECURITY AND OUR CAPT COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MORE WONDERFUL. I THINK THEY HANDLED THE SIT VERY PROFESSIONALLY. I WAS QUESTIONED BY MIAMI DADE SEVERAL TIMES, COMPANY SECURITY, THE FBI AND, BY PHONE, I SPOKE WITH THE ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY, WHO INFORMED ME CRIMINAL INTENT WAS VERY HARD TO PROVE. UNFORTUNATELY, OUR MARKET IS WELL KNOWN TO FLT ATTENDANTS AS ONE WHERE PAX TEND TO BE VERY NONCOMPLIANT AND DISRESPECTFUL TO CREW MEMBERS. I WAS TOLD BY THE FBI AND THE DA THAT THIS WOMAN WILL BE BLACK LISTED FROM EVER FLYING ON MY COMPANY AGAIN. I HOPE MY COMPANY WILL HOLD TO THAT PROMISE.

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.