Narrative:

Flying from lhr to iad, our flight was delayed 20 mins to accommodate 2 late arriving passenger, a young man (who was both mentally and physically disabled), and his father. About 1 hour into the flight, the purser came into the cockpit and told the captain about this young man, and said that he was 'violently flailing about in his seat, striking, spitting and blowing his nose on the man who was sitting next to him.' the man who was being assaulted, asked the flight attendants if he could be moved to another location. The flight was completely full, so the purser asked the captain if this man could use one of the flight attendant jumpseats. For this man's safety, and because of the bodily fluids involved, the captain told the purser that this man could move to a flight attendant jumpseat, as long as he returned to his assigned seat for the landing. The captain was unaware of any restrs regarding the flight attendant jumpseat, since this issue is not addressed in our flight manual. In addition, several of the passenger in the immediate area of this disabled man, were annoyed by his behavior, and were verbally abusive to the disabled man's father, and to the flight attendants. They all eventually went to sleep, and the man (who sat on the flight attendant jumpseat), returned to his assigned seat for the remainder of the flight. The flight landed safely at iad. This incident could have been avoided if we had a designated seat location for such disabled individuals. For example, if this disabled person had been seated behind a bulkhead, and next to the window, with his father between him and the other passenger, his impact on the other passenger would have been minimized.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B747-400 CAPT RPTED THAT A MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY DISABLED PAX DISTURBED OTHER PAX DURING A FLT FROM LHR TO IAD. THE RPTR MADE A GOOD SUGGESTION ABOUT THE SEATING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH PAX.

Narrative: FLYING FROM LHR TO IAD, OUR FLT WAS DELAYED 20 MINS TO ACCOMMODATE 2 LATE ARRIVING PAX, A YOUNG MAN (WHO WAS BOTH MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY DISABLED), AND HIS FATHER. ABOUT 1 HR INTO THE FLT, THE PURSER CAME INTO THE COCKPIT AND TOLD THE CAPT ABOUT THIS YOUNG MAN, AND SAID THAT HE WAS 'VIOLENTLY FLAILING ABOUT IN HIS SEAT, STRIKING, SPITTING AND BLOWING HIS NOSE ON THE MAN WHO WAS SITTING NEXT TO HIM.' THE MAN WHO WAS BEING ASSAULTED, ASKED THE FLT ATTENDANTS IF HE COULD BE MOVED TO ANOTHER LOCATION. THE FLT WAS COMPLETELY FULL, SO THE PURSER ASKED THE CAPT IF THIS MAN COULD USE ONE OF THE FLT ATTENDANT JUMPSEATS. FOR THIS MAN'S SAFETY, AND BECAUSE OF THE BODILY FLUIDS INVOLVED, THE CAPT TOLD THE PURSER THAT THIS MAN COULD MOVE TO A FLT ATTENDANT JUMPSEAT, AS LONG AS HE RETURNED TO HIS ASSIGNED SEAT FOR THE LNDG. THE CAPT WAS UNAWARE OF ANY RESTRS REGARDING THE FLT ATTENDANT JUMPSEAT, SINCE THIS ISSUE IS NOT ADDRESSED IN OUR FLT MANUAL. IN ADDITION, SEVERAL OF THE PAX IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA OF THIS DISABLED MAN, WERE ANNOYED BY HIS BEHAVIOR, AND WERE VERBALLY ABUSIVE TO THE DISABLED MAN'S FATHER, AND TO THE FLT ATTENDANTS. THEY ALL EVENTUALLY WENT TO SLEEP, AND THE MAN (WHO SAT ON THE FLT ATTENDANT JUMPSEAT), RETURNED TO HIS ASSIGNED SEAT FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT. THE FLT LANDED SAFELY AT IAD. THIS INCIDENT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF WE HAD A DESIGNATED SEAT LOCATION FOR SUCH DISABLED INDIVIDUALS. FOR EXAMPLE, IF THIS DISABLED PERSON HAD BEEN SEATED BEHIND A BULKHEAD, AND NEXT TO THE WINDOW, WITH HIS FATHER BTWN HIM AND THE OTHER PAX, HIS IMPACT ON THE OTHER PAX WOULD HAVE BEEN MINIMIZED.

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.