vagabond

That's why I never took up smoking!

From Associated Press:

SAN FRANCISCO - A Hawaii-bound Delta Air Lines Inc. jet was diverted to San Francisco on Tuesday when a female passenger became unruly after smoking in the restroom, U.S. officials said.

A fellow passenger calling from the San Francisco International Airport tarmac after the Boeing 767 landed said a woman passenger had "a complete meltdown freakout" over the Pacific Ocean.

The witness, Elizabeth Oglesby, told The Associated Press that the woman hit a pilot in the chest after he left the cockpit to check on her.

"She appeared to be out of her mind. Upset. Belligerent," Oglesby said. "He threatened to handcuff her if she didn't calm down. At that point she hit him in the chest."

A U.S. Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman did not have the passenger's name, but said she was taken to the hospital.

Delta Flight 511 originated in Cincinnati and was supposed to fly nonstop to Honolulu.

Ewfflyer

Non-stop out of CVG, dayum that's a long flight........

Oh yeah, no smoking on the planes!!!

FlyerJosh

I find it REALLY hard to believe that any flightcrew member left the cockpit to deal with an unruly passenger. Perhaps before 9/11, but not now. My guess is that perhaps a uniformed deadhead or jumpseating crewmember intervened at the request of the captain.

ToiletDuck

They need to make an example out of here. And what was the pilot doing leaving the cockpit. I thought you weren't allowed to leave.

RedeyeAV8r

I (they) would need a very big Johnson to reach the Lavatory without leaving the Cockpit.

ToiletDuck

I understand that part but I was asking because of the despute. I know you can go during the flight but if someone is running around crazy on the otherside of the door it's a different story.

vagabond

The following (in italics) is in the latest updated version:

The flight was turned around after the woman hit a pilot who had left the cockpit to quell the disturbance, said Elizabeth Oglesby of Atlanta.
The woman was given oxygen and was taken to the hospital by ambulance after the plane landed.
Officials with the Transportation Security Administration and Federal Aviation Administration did not immediately release the name of the passenger and it was not clear if she would face criminal charges. It's a federal crime to smoke on a commercial flight.
Delta spokeswoman Chris Kelly said the Boeing 767 landed safely at about 1 p.m. and resumed its flight about an hour later.
"I wish I was on the beach right now," Oglesby said before the flight resumed. "I think Delta did the right thing. You don't hit a pilot in an airplane."

My curious mind would like to know:

How did her cigarettes and lighter/matches get past TSA?

What did she allegedly smoke in the lavatory? Sure it was cigarettes?

Which lavatory did she use?

When exactly did she freak out and melt down? How do we know she didn’t freak because the pilot opened the lavatory door while she was sitting in the can doing her thing?

rickair7777

You are 100% correct. It HAD to have been a J/S, non-rev, or maybe a relief pilot who was resting in the cabin (CVG to HI should be longer than 8 hours).

If the crew did open the cockpit door during this sort of situation (which I find unbelievable), they are in very deep doo-doo.

aerospacepilot

Really??? I always thought the pilot in command had the final authority regarding the safety of the flight. If a single pilot is not allowed to leave the cockpit during a disturbance, what is the point of having federal flight deck officers?? Are they allowed to leave the cockpit?

Sorry, it just seems really stange to me that a pilot is not allowed to deal with a disturbance, especially if it is coming from a lav way back in coach. If a single pilot cannot leave the cockpit during a major problem, then there is no point in having FFDO's. Minus well turn in their guns and stop funding that program.

FlyerJosh

Were treading on grounds where aircraft security is coming into play and some info just doesn't need to be said on a public forum.

The flight crew (and FFDO's) are the aircraft's last line of defense. They aren't there to protect the passengers (Trust me... the passengers WILL protect themselves when the time comes.) They are there to protect against a hijacker or terrorist from using the aircraft as a weapon against a ground target.

Like I said before, I'm guessing that the afore mentioned crewmember that was struck was a uniformed company crewmember that was outside of the flight deck (such as a commuter/relief pilot/deadheader).