Date: 201910
Location: IAH.Airport, TX
Flight conditions: VMC
Aircraft: A320
Operator: Air Carrier
Operating under: Part 121
Flight plan: IFR
Mission: Passenger
Flight phase: Parked
Reporter organization: Air Carrier
Reporter function: Captain
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Multiengine
Anomaly: Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Other / Unknown
Detector: Person Flight Crew
When detected: Aircraft In Service At Gate
Result: General Police / Security Involved
Contributing factors: Human Factors
Primary problem: Human Factors

Narrative: Flight arrived in IAH and deplaning commenced. Cleaners were told not to board until passengers deplaned. Aircraft was early with wheelchair passengers. On cleaner came aboard to confront Captain and I put my hand out and said stop. He was told he couldn't board and I identified myself as the Captain. He paused and then withdrew using profanity and elevated body language making calls to others including telling the others that I told him that I was the Captain and then he said 'I don't care [racial slur]!'. Deplaning continued until the others arrived and forcibly came onboard the aircraft despite my direction to stop. As passengers were deplaning I stepped in between the path of the hostile persons and the passengers to avoid a collision and injury and took a defensive stance. The boarding person (female) kept coming and ran into me inside the doorway approaching the aisle and then took a step back. The threat was such that I told them if they didn't withdraw that I was going to call security at which time the female said that she was security and said don't touch me. The second person (male) also tried to overwhelm the situation and advanced into me and said don't touch me before withdrawing presumably when realized the presence of the queue of passengers. The passengers deplaned without further interference. I then told the male cleaner that he could board. At some point after boarding the aircraft and being told the stop; the female and male persons verbalized that they were supervisors of the cleaning crew. After deplaning was completed; the flight attendant had given me a maintenance item to write up. The elevation of negativity by the male and some crew was enough that I decided to take the cosmetic item to the podium to call it in. The male decided he was going to follow me and the flight attendants and did so until disengaging well into the concourse. I said goodbye to flight attendants and returned to aircraft when a new crewmember on duty (Flight Attendant) was onboard to monitor any event that might happen with the stalking cleaner. I wrote up the cosmetic item and briefed the Flight Attendant on what was written up and then departed. The same male cleaner decided to follow me again and this time did not disengage. I stopped at [gate] and called the ground security coordinator for intervention. Intervention occurred and no further interaction with cleaning crew.




Synopsis: Captain reported a physical confrontation with aircraft cleaners that required security intervention.