Narrative:

The first indication that there might be a problem came as we prepared for pushback. The flight attendants said there was a passenger who was being very loud swearing and offending them and the passenger. The captain spoke with him and he seemed to respond with contrition and said there wouldn't be any further problems. After about 2 hours of flight time; the flight attendant called from the aft cabin and said the passenger was causing problems again. He was swearing and using offensive language; then used the lavatory without closing the door. A few mins later they called and said he had opened and then thrown his salad dressing at the window; and then was spitting on the other seats around him. The calls continued to describe the actions he was taking; and the flight attendants asked that we land to have the passenger taken off the airplane. The flight attendants continued to report the actions this passenger was taking which included: throwing his food tray; banging the airphone against the seat in front of him; smoking in the lavatory; ripping the phone off the seat; tearing the tray table off the seat back; and tearing a handle off the wall in the lavatory. There was more damage in the lavatory as well. Initially; we continued because we needed to clear the area with volcanic ash from a recent eruption. The flight attendants continued to call and request that we land and have the passenger removed. The captain passed some information to dispatch via ACARS and after a while by radio; while continuing to proceed towards anc. Eventually we reached a point where the only real option was to continue and land at anc; and that is what we did. After landing; the auths arrested the passenger; took statements and photographed the damage on the airplane. Fortunately; no one was hurt. I don't believe we should have continued past sea. I recommended based on the flight attendant reports and requests that we should have diverted to sea before leaving united states airspace. I still believe this would have been the prudent thing to do. Sea was close; the WX was good; and company has full facilities there. The captain never seemed to realize the urgency that the flight attendants were passing. I felt they were very clear that they wanted to land; but he didn't seem to believe it was that urgent. We were fortunate no one was hurt.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN AGGRESSIVE; ABUSIVE AND POTENTIALLY VIOLENT PAX IS RPTED REPEATEDLY TO FLT CREW OF A320 ENRTE TO ANC. CAPT FAILS TO RESPOND TO CABIN ATTENDANT REQUESTS TO LAND AND HAVE THE PAX REMOVED. PAX WAS ARRESTED ON ARR.

Narrative: THE FIRST INDICATION THAT THERE MIGHT BE A PROB CAME AS WE PREPARED FOR PUSHBACK. THE FLT ATTENDANTS SAID THERE WAS A PAX WHO WAS BEING VERY LOUD SWEARING AND OFFENDING THEM AND THE PAX. THE CAPT SPOKE WITH HIM AND HE SEEMED TO RESPOND WITH CONTRITION AND SAID THERE WOULDN'T BE ANY FURTHER PROBS. AFTER ABOUT 2 HRS OF FLT TIME; THE FLT ATTENDANT CALLED FROM THE AFT CABIN AND SAID THE PAX WAS CAUSING PROBS AGAIN. HE WAS SWEARING AND USING OFFENSIVE LANGUAGE; THEN USED THE LAVATORY WITHOUT CLOSING THE DOOR. A FEW MINS LATER THEY CALLED AND SAID HE HAD OPENED AND THEN THROWN HIS SALAD DRESSING AT THE WINDOW; AND THEN WAS SPITTING ON THE OTHER SEATS AROUND HIM. THE CALLS CONTINUED TO DESCRIBE THE ACTIONS HE WAS TAKING; AND THE FLT ATTENDANTS ASKED THAT WE LAND TO HAVE THE PAX TAKEN OFF THE AIRPLANE. THE FLT ATTENDANTS CONTINUED TO RPT THE ACTIONS THIS PAX WAS TAKING WHICH INCLUDED: THROWING HIS FOOD TRAY; BANGING THE AIRPHONE AGAINST THE SEAT IN FRONT OF HIM; SMOKING IN THE LAVATORY; RIPPING THE PHONE OFF THE SEAT; TEARING THE TRAY TABLE OFF THE SEAT BACK; AND TEARING A HANDLE OFF THE WALL IN THE LAVATORY. THERE WAS MORE DAMAGE IN THE LAVATORY AS WELL. INITIALLY; WE CONTINUED BECAUSE WE NEEDED TO CLR THE AREA WITH VOLCANIC ASH FROM A RECENT ERUPTION. THE FLT ATTENDANTS CONTINUED TO CALL AND REQUEST THAT WE LAND AND HAVE THE PAX REMOVED. THE CAPT PASSED SOME INFO TO DISPATCH VIA ACARS AND AFTER A WHILE BY RADIO; WHILE CONTINUING TO PROCEED TOWARDS ANC. EVENTUALLY WE REACHED A POINT WHERE THE ONLY REAL OPTION WAS TO CONTINUE AND LAND AT ANC; AND THAT IS WHAT WE DID. AFTER LNDG; THE AUTHS ARRESTED THE PAX; TOOK STATEMENTS AND PHOTOGRAPHED THE DAMAGE ON THE AIRPLANE. FORTUNATELY; NO ONE WAS HURT. I DON'T BELIEVE WE SHOULD HAVE CONTINUED PAST SEA. I RECOMMENDED BASED ON THE FLT ATTENDANT RPTS AND REQUESTS THAT WE SHOULD HAVE DIVERTED TO SEA BEFORE LEAVING UNITED STATES AIRSPACE. I STILL BELIEVE THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN THE PRUDENT THING TO DO. SEA WAS CLOSE; THE WX WAS GOOD; AND COMPANY HAS FULL FACILITIES THERE. THE CAPT NEVER SEEMED TO REALIZE THE URGENCY THAT THE FLT ATTENDANTS WERE PASSING. I FELT THEY WERE VERY CLR THAT THEY WANTED TO LAND; BUT HE DIDN'T SEEM TO BELIEVE IT WAS THAT URGENT. WE WERE FORTUNATE NO ONE WAS HURT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.