>Aviation is such as complex system that evolution in one
>area means new problems in others. e.g a spin off from
>2-pilot aircraft is that in events of in-flight violence, it is
>probably not a good idea to send one of the pilots back
>to help out!
What you said. Among airline people discussing the issue of
diruptive passengers, the idea of sending one flight crewmember
back to "fix the situation" causes more than a little distress.
It would be a bad deal if the PIC went back and was incapacitated
by one of the "3 percenters" who can't be talked out of violence.
One captain advised me (a first officer) that he could reach the gear
and flap handles okay, and that we needed a flight engineer to "work
that damn panel." Therefore I would be the one to go back. Without
any real training in dealing with disruptive pax, my approach was to
"do unto the others before they can do unto me, then let any survivors
call a lawyer." Fortunately the situation cooled down before my help
was needed. But imagine how the safety margin is reduced on a two
pilot airplane if one crewmember doesn't fare well back there and is
incapacitated.
One friend (a deadheading FE) went back to break up a brawl last
year, and when he opened the cockpit door found a surreal scene of
ALL passengers out of their seats and at least one person in midair.
A virtual Jerry Springer show at FL370. So what is the risk to all of
the pax if a few disrupters take the cabin? They certainly hinder a
safety system depending an all crewmembers being fully functional
in their roles.
It sure would be nice to have some skills in avoiding a violent situation
aloft in addition to the usual hostage/hijack skills currently covered in
airline training. Last Superbowl Sunday I was on a flight that diverted
to
Denver due to some drunks that wanted to start a brawl, picking an
armed FBI agent as the prime target. He was skilled in dealing with
violence-prone persons and prevented what could have been a really
nasty situation. There was a lot of cursing and provocation, but he
didn't take the bait. Anyone else may not have been as disciplined.
Finally it came to one option: restrain the perpetrators and get them
off the plane.
What do crews learn in typical groundschools?
1. Keep violence off the plane.
2. If on board, keep it out of the cockpit.
3. Keep it on the ground.
4. Don't lose the plane for want of a cabin...
Not too much emphasis is focused on pragmatic ways of getting
drunks and irates to settle down before things escalate out of
control. I suspect no one wants to deal with the resulting legal
hassles that follow these events. The pax don't, and neither do
the crews.
Hope this stirs some good discussion,
Phil
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