Narrative:

10/88 from msp to san. Prior to pushback the head F/a came to the cockpit to inform us of a possible problem with an unruly passenger. She observed that he had been drinking, and he was demanding more alcohol. She felt able to deal with this person. She just wanted to inform us of the possible problem. The three of us briefly discussed it and she decided to give him only one drink and then shut him off. Perhaps 45 mins into the flight the lead came back to the cockpit and informed us that she had observed that this man had a knife opened and laying on his tray table. She described it as a 'switchblade knife' and informed him to put it away which he did. Approximately 20-30 mins later we began a climb to a higher altitude and began encountering light turbulence. I heard the cockpit door open very loudly, turned and observed a man entering the cockpit. He sat down on the jump seat and demanded to know why the airplane was fluttering and said something to the effect of 'what's wrong with this thing. Why are we doing this?' (he was shaking his hand in a fluttering motion.) captain and I immediately demanded that he leave the cockpit. He said he just wanted to talk for a moment. We again told him he was not allowed in here and he must immediately leave the cockpit. He said something to the effect of not being allowed in the cockpit and we again demanded that he leave the cockpit. He got up from the jump seat and left the cockpit. I called the lead and asked her if she was aware of what just happened. She was in the back of the airplane and had not seen a thing. She then came to the cockpit and we discussed the situation. At this point we were afraid to approach the man as he was sitting calmly in his seat and we did not want to incite a major incident since he had apparently calmed down. We decided to wait to see what would happen. We discussed how he was able to break through a locked door. We think it was possible he pried the jam with his knife, but we don't know. It is also possible that he just forced it open by pulling on it because when it opened it was quite loud. Approximately 20 mins later cabin attendant came back and informed us that he was again demanding alcohol. We then decided it was time to inform him that if his actions did not change that the police would be meeting the aircraft in san. Cabin attendant went back and informed him of this and that he would not be served any alcohol. He did not want the police involved and he calmed down. He was not a problem for the rest of the flight. Later cabin attendant had a chance to talk with a woman who was seated in the same row. The woman advised that she had met him in the bar prior to departure and that they had been drinking quite a bit prior to boarding. The man was very upset as he was going to san because his father was dying. He was also distraught because his wife had been cheating on him. To top it off, he was a fearful flyer. To my knowledge he never threatened any crew members with physical harm. Cabin attendant wanted to inform san that they might have a problem with this man. Captain was adamant about not blowing things out of proportion. He made the decision not to notify anyone. He was quite adamant about this decision. He also told cabin attendant not to write anything up in her reports. Even though I am a captain, I was not the PIC and I had to defer to captain's wishes. I did not agree with his handling of the situation and would certainly have considered a different course of action had I been in charge.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PROBLEMS WITH A FEARFUL FLYER WHO HAD BEEN DRINKING BEFORE TKOF.

Narrative: 10/88 FROM MSP TO SAN. PRIOR TO PUSHBACK THE HEAD F/A CAME TO THE COCKPIT TO INFORM US OF A POSSIBLE PROB WITH AN UNRULY PAX. SHE OBSERVED THAT HE HAD BEEN DRINKING, AND HE WAS DEMANDING MORE ALCOHOL. SHE FELT ABLE TO DEAL WITH THIS PERSON. SHE JUST WANTED TO INFORM US OF THE POSSIBLE PROB. THE THREE OF US BRIEFLY DISCUSSED IT AND SHE DECIDED TO GIVE HIM ONLY ONE DRINK AND THEN SHUT HIM OFF. PERHAPS 45 MINS INTO THE FLT THE LEAD CAME BACK TO THE COCKPIT AND INFORMED US THAT SHE HAD OBSERVED THAT THIS MAN HAD A KNIFE OPENED AND LAYING ON HIS TRAY TABLE. SHE DESCRIBED IT AS A 'SWITCHBLADE KNIFE' AND INFORMED HIM TO PUT IT AWAY WHICH HE DID. APPROX 20-30 MINS LATER WE BEGAN A CLB TO A HIGHER ALT AND BEGAN ENCOUNTERING LIGHT TURB. I HEARD THE COCKPIT DOOR OPEN VERY LOUDLY, TURNED AND OBSERVED A MAN ENTERING THE COCKPIT. HE SAT DOWN ON THE JUMP SEAT AND DEMANDED TO KNOW WHY THE AIRPLANE WAS FLUTTERING AND SAID SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT OF 'WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS THING. WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?' (HE WAS SHAKING HIS HAND IN A FLUTTERING MOTION.) CAPT AND I IMMEDIATELY DEMANDED THAT HE LEAVE THE COCKPIT. HE SAID HE JUST WANTED TO TALK FOR A MOMENT. WE AGAIN TOLD HIM HE WAS NOT ALLOWED IN HERE AND HE MUST IMMEDIATELY LEAVE THE COCKPIT. HE SAID SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT OF NOT BEING ALLOWED IN THE COCKPIT AND WE AGAIN DEMANDED THAT HE LEAVE THE COCKPIT. HE GOT UP FROM THE JUMP SEAT AND LEFT THE COCKPIT. I CALLED THE LEAD AND ASKED HER IF SHE WAS AWARE OF WHAT JUST HAPPENED. SHE WAS IN THE BACK OF THE AIRPLANE AND HAD NOT SEEN A THING. SHE THEN CAME TO THE COCKPIT AND WE DISCUSSED THE SITUATION. AT THIS POINT WE WERE AFRAID TO APPROACH THE MAN AS HE WAS SITTING CALMLY IN HIS SEAT AND WE DID NOT WANT TO INCITE A MAJOR INCIDENT SINCE HE HAD APPARENTLY CALMED DOWN. WE DECIDED TO WAIT TO SEE WHAT WOULD HAPPEN. WE DISCUSSED HOW HE WAS ABLE TO BREAK THROUGH A LOCKED DOOR. WE THINK IT WAS POSSIBLE HE PRIED THE JAM WITH HIS KNIFE, BUT WE DON'T KNOW. IT IS ALSO POSSIBLE THAT HE JUST FORCED IT OPEN BY PULLING ON IT BECAUSE WHEN IT OPENED IT WAS QUITE LOUD. APPROX 20 MINS LATER CABIN ATTENDANT CAME BACK AND INFORMED US THAT HE WAS AGAIN DEMANDING ALCOHOL. WE THEN DECIDED IT WAS TIME TO INFORM HIM THAT IF HIS ACTIONS DID NOT CHANGE THAT THE POLICE WOULD BE MEETING THE ACFT IN SAN. CABIN ATTENDANT WENT BACK AND INFORMED HIM OF THIS AND THAT HE WOULD NOT BE SERVED ANY ALCOHOL. HE DID NOT WANT THE POLICE INVOLVED AND HE CALMED DOWN. HE WAS NOT A PROB FOR THE REST OF THE FLT. LATER CABIN ATTENDANT HAD A CHANCE TO TALK WITH A WOMAN WHO WAS SEATED IN THE SAME ROW. THE WOMAN ADVISED THAT SHE HAD MET HIM IN THE BAR PRIOR TO DEP AND THAT THEY HAD BEEN DRINKING QUITE A BIT PRIOR TO BOARDING. THE MAN WAS VERY UPSET AS HE WAS GOING TO SAN BECAUSE HIS FATHER WAS DYING. HE WAS ALSO DISTRAUGHT BECAUSE HIS WIFE HAD BEEN CHEATING ON HIM. TO TOP IT OFF, HE WAS A FEARFUL FLYER. TO MY KNOWLEDGE HE NEVER THREATENED ANY CREW MEMBERS WITH PHYSICAL HARM. CABIN ATTENDANT WANTED TO INFORM SAN THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE A PROB WITH THIS MAN. CAPT WAS ADAMANT ABOUT NOT BLOWING THINGS OUT OF PROPORTION. HE MADE THE DECISION NOT TO NOTIFY ANYONE. HE WAS QUITE ADAMANT ABOUT THIS DECISION. HE ALSO TOLD CABIN ATTENDANT NOT TO WRITE ANYTHING UP IN HER RPTS. EVEN THOUGH I AM A CAPT, I WAS NOT THE PIC AND I HAD TO DEFER TO CAPT'S WISHES. I DID NOT AGREE WITH HIS HANDLING OF THE SITUATION AND WOULD CERTAINLY HAVE CONSIDERED A DIFFERENT COURSE OF ACTION HAD I BEEN IN CHARGE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 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.