Unmarked, suspicious looking package on board aircraft upon taxi-out.

Attributes
ACN	109590
Time
Date	198902
Day	Sat
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : pvd
State Reference	RI
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Dusk
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Medium Large Transport, Low Wing, 2 Turbojet Eng
Flight Phase	ground other : taxi
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 180 flight time type : 180
ASRS Report	109590
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Events
Anomaly	other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other other : unspecified
Resolutory Action	flight crew : declared emergency other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Ambiguous
Air Traffic Incident	other other

Narrative:

Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: air carrier aircraft arrived pvd on scheduled flight and had a 2 hour layover. During this ground time one of the cabin attendants went out to the aircraft to look for something she thought she might have left on board. Later, the aircraft was loaded with departing passenger on another scheduled segment. On taxiout the same cabin attendant reported to the captain that she had found an unmarked container, rectangular in shape and wrapped in brown paper. The attendant remarked that it looked like the 'classic bomb package' that had been demonstrated in ground school training. She further stated that she was certain that it had not been there when she had searched the aircraft for her missing bag prior to aircraft loading. Aircraft was stopped, the fire department and bomb squad alerted and passenger were deplaned using stairs. A 1 hour delay was incurred. The 'bomb' turned out to be a package of 'galley wipes' that were unmarked as to the contents on the outside. Captain reported the circumstances to the company and suggested that the 'galley wipes' should be idented as such in the future. No reply from company at this time.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: UNMARKED, SUSPICIOUS LOOKING PACKAGE ON BOARD ACFT UPON TAXI-OUT.

Narrative: CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: ACR ACFT ARRIVED PVD ON SCHEDULED FLT AND HAD A 2 HR LAYOVER. DURING THIS GND TIME ONE OF THE CABIN ATTENDANTS WENT OUT TO THE ACFT TO LOOK FOR SOMETHING SHE THOUGHT SHE MIGHT HAVE LEFT ON BOARD. LATER, THE ACFT WAS LOADED WITH DEPARTING PAX ON ANOTHER SCHEDULED SEGMENT. ON TAXIOUT THE SAME CABIN ATTENDANT RPTED TO THE CAPT THAT SHE HAD FOUND AN UNMARKED CONTAINER, RECTANGULAR IN SHAPE AND WRAPPED IN BROWN PAPER. THE ATTENDANT REMARKED THAT IT LOOKED LIKE THE 'CLASSIC BOMB PACKAGE' THAT HAD BEEN DEMONSTRATED IN GND SCHOOL TRNING. SHE FURTHER STATED THAT SHE WAS CERTAIN THAT IT HAD NOT BEEN THERE WHEN SHE HAD SEARCHED THE ACFT FOR HER MISSING BAG PRIOR TO ACFT LOADING. ACFT WAS STOPPED, THE FIRE DEPT AND BOMB SQUAD ALERTED AND PAX WERE DEPLANED USING STAIRS. A 1 HR DELAY WAS INCURRED. THE 'BOMB' TURNED OUT TO BE A PACKAGE OF 'GALLEY WIPES' THAT WERE UNMARKED AS TO THE CONTENTS ON THE OUTSIDE. CAPT RPTED THE CIRCUMSTANCES TO THE COMPANY AND SUGGESTED THAT THE 'GALLEY WIPES' SHOULD BE IDENTED AS SUCH IN THE FUTURE. NO REPLY FROM COMPANY AT THIS TIME.

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.