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B737 first officer reports noticing the captain rubbing his jaw and right ear then turning red and convulsing in his seat. The captain regained his composure and stated he had just blown out his ear drum. Flight continues to destination.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1178442 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201406 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201-1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.ARTCC |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | Mixed |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | B737-700 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | Cruise |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | First Officer |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 149 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Illness |
Narrative:
At FL340 on our last leg of a three day trip; I noticed the captain rubbing his jaw and right ear. The captain then appeared to turn red and started convulsing in his seat. I attempted to talk to the captain over the flight intercom; but he did not seem to hear me. I was protecting the throttles and flight controls from his spasms. This went on for about 30 seconds; and then the captain regained his composure. He told me he had just blown out his ear drum. At this time I noticed blood flowing from his right ear. I asked the captain if he would like to seek immediate medical attention; but he insisted that he was fine. I asked if he wanted to start a slow decent or have emts meet us on arrival which the captain declined. During this episode we developed a 600 pound fuel imbalance; which I brought to the captain's attention. He said the imbalance was within limits and took no further action. We landed uneventfully on time. 'Don't fly with a cold.'
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: B737 First Officer reports noticing the Captain rubbing his jaw and right ear then turning red and convulsing in his seat. The Captain regained his composure and stated he had just blown out his ear drum. Flight continues to destination.
Narrative: At FL340 on our last leg of a three day trip; I noticed the Captain rubbing his jaw and right ear. The Captain then appeared to turn red and started convulsing in his seat. I attempted to talk to the Captain over the flight intercom; but he did not seem to hear me. I was protecting the throttles and flight controls from his spasms. This went on for about 30 seconds; and then the Captain regained his composure. He told me he had just blown out his ear drum. At this time I noticed blood flowing from his right ear. I asked the Captain if he would like to seek immediate medical attention; but he insisted that he was fine. I asked if he wanted to start a slow decent or have EMTs meet us on arrival which the Captain declined. During this episode we developed a 600 pound fuel imbalance; which I brought to the Captain's attention. He said the imbalance was within limits and took no further action. We landed uneventfully on time. 'Don't fly with a cold.'
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.