PIREP; B737-300. UNRULY; PSYCHOTIC PAX; SUBDUED BY PAX USING PLT HANDCUFFS (TIE-WRAPS); INSUFFICIENT NUMBER BOARDED; DIVERT TO ABILENE. PAX REMOVED TO PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL.

Narrative

DUE TO AN UNRULY PAX; WE DIVERTED INTO ABILENE. WITH PAX ASSISTANCE; THE SECURITY KIT TIE-WRAPS WERE USED. ABILENE IS AN OFF-LINE ARPT AND WITH ALL THE CONFUSION AND ENSUING INTERVIEWS (POLICE; PARAMEDICS; FBI); I GAVE NO THOUGHT TO WHETHER WE NEEDED MORE TIE-WRAPS TO DEPART ABI. WE EVENTUALLY WENT TO OUR DEST; SAT. THERE I TALKED TO MAINT CTL AND THE TIE-WRAPS WERE REPLACED. FYI -- THE PAX HAD A MEDICAL CONDITION AND HIS MEDICINE HAD WORN OFF; CAUSING A PSYCHOTIC EPISODE. HE WAS TAKEN TO A LCL HOSPITAL. MAYBE IF MORE THAN 4 TIE-WRAPS WERE IN THE SECURITY KIT; WE WOULD BE ABLE TO GET TO A DOWN-LINE STATION BEFORE HAVING TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT THE MAN WAS TRAVELING WITH HIS 11 YR OLD SON AND THAT HE WAS ON SOME SORT OF PSYCHOTIC MEDICATION; WHICH ALL 3 MEDICINES WERE IN HIS LUGGAGE IN CARGO. HE STARTED HIS BIZARRE BEHAVIOR IN MID-FLT. HE WAS TRYING TO GET OFF THE PLANE AND WAS SCRATCHING AT THE WINDOWS IN DESPERATE ATTEMPT TO GET OFF. THE LEAD FLT ATTENDANT CAME UP TO THE COCKPIT WITH A TERRIFIED 'WIDE EYED LOOK' AND BEGGED FOR THE COPLT TO COME OUT AND ASSIST. THE RPTR WAS VERY RELUCTANT TO LET HIM GO BACK; BECAUSE SHE HAD JUST TAKEN HER RECURRENT TRAINING AND THE EMPHASIS WAS ON PLTS NOT LEAVING A 2-MAN COCKPIT FOR PAX DISTURBANCES. IN THE MEANTIME; THE MAN STARTED SHOVING ANOTHER FLT ATTENDANT AROUND. AT THIS POINT; AN OFF DUTY POLICEMAN STEPPED IN TO HELP. THE COPLT CAME BACK BRIEFLY TO HAND THE POLICEMAN THE TIE-WRAP RESTRAINING KIT; WHICH HOLDS 4 TIE-WRAPS AND A CUTTER. THE MAN ACTUALLY BROKE 1 TIE-WRAP AND THE POLICEMAN SAID THAT 4 TIE-WRAPS ARE NOT ENOUGH AND RECOMMENDED THAT THE AIRLINES CARRY MORE THAN 4. IT TOOK 5 MEN TO RESTRAIN THE MAN FOR LNDG. THE PARAMEDICS AND POLICE MET THE AIRPLANE AND SAID THAT THEY LEGALLY COULDN'T ADMINISTER THE MAN'S MEDICINE; BUT HIS SON COULD. THE RPTR SAID NO WAY; SHE WANTED THE MAN SENT TO A HOSPITAL.