Passenger hoax by using an airsickness bag and advising bomb inside.

Attributes
ACN	171015
Time
Date	199102
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : nre
State Reference	FO
Altitude	msl bound lower : 31000 msl bound upper : 31000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	artcc : rjtg
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Widebody, Low Wing, 4 Turbojet Eng
Navigation In Use	Other
Flight Phase	cruise other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : second officer
Qualification	pilot : flight engineer pilot : instrument pilot : atp pilot : cfi pilot : commercial
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 200 flight time total : 11000 flight time type : 150
ASRS Report	171015
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other other : unspecified
Resolutory Action	other
Consequence	faa : investigated
Supplementary
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

Tokyo to sfo in cruise. 1 plus 45 out of narita airport. Passenger (male japanese 45-50 yrs dressed in a business suit) handed sick sack to F/a and indicated verbally that it was a bomb. Captain directed F/east to aft most lav area and he reported that sack had been placed on table near door 5R and was about 3 X 4 X 4 inches in size. After questioning passenger with help of interpreter it was thought to be a hoax (joke) but pilots decided that to maximize passenger safety the flight would return to narita and that the F/east would secure the bomb to door 5R packaged in accordance with company procedures. An emergency was declared and the flight returned uneventfully where the suspect was handed over to japanese authorities. The 'bomb' turned out to contain a cigarette butt and a couple wadded up napkins weighing about as much as a pack of cigarettes. Just another routine day the airport.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PASSENGER HOAX BY USING AN AIRSICKNESS BAG AND ADVISING BOMB INSIDE.

Narrative: TOKYO TO SFO IN CRUISE. 1 PLUS 45 OUT OF NARITA ARPT. PAX (MALE JAPANESE 45-50 YRS DRESSED IN A BUSINESS SUIT) HANDED SICK SACK TO F/A AND INDICATED VERBALLY THAT IT WAS A BOMB. CAPT DIRECTED F/E TO AFT MOST LAV AREA AND HE RPTED THAT SACK HAD BEEN PLACED ON TABLE NEAR DOOR 5R AND WAS ABOUT 3 X 4 X 4 INCHES IN SIZE. AFTER QUESTIONING PAX WITH HELP OF INTERPRETER IT WAS THOUGHT TO BE A HOAX (JOKE) BUT PLTS DECIDED THAT TO MAXIMIZE PAX SAFETY THE FLT WOULD RETURN TO NARITA AND THAT THE F/E WOULD SECURE THE BOMB TO DOOR 5R PACKAGED IN ACCORDANCE WITH COMPANY PROCS. AN EMER WAS DECLARED AND THE FLT RETURNED UNEVENTFULLY WHERE THE SUSPECT WAS HANDED OVER TO JAPANESE AUTHORITIES. THE 'BOMB' TURNED OUT TO CONTAIN A CIGARETTE BUTT AND A COUPLE WADDED UP NAPKINS WEIGHING ABOUT AS MUCH AS A PACK OF CIGARETTES. JUST ANOTHER ROUTINE DAY THE ARPT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 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.