Narrative:

The flight attendant brought a paper plate into the cockpit which said, 'sorry no survivors.' the last word was written in cursive and might have been something else. We contacted the company and started trying to find out if we had a threat or not. After conferring with our departure station, mia, and gaining further information about the caterer who put the plates on, they decided that there might be a possibility of a threat. We checked the galleys, cockpit, and lavatories, but found nothing suspicious. After it was determined that a threat might have existed, our dispatch, to keep things discrete, declared an emergency. We landed in dtw and were met by police and a bomb dog. No bomb or other threat was found. As a final note, it was discovered that the caterer putting on the plates was new, of spanish backgnd, and in haste, had intended to write 'sorry no napkins,' but could not remember the english word for napkin, and instead, put the spanish word 'serverios.' (miscom which could have resulted in serious injury if we had let it escalate and done an emergency evacuate/evacuation).

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A NOTE WAS FOUND IN THE GALLEY. IT WAS INTERPRETED TO SAY 'SORRY, NO SURVIVORS.' IT WAS TREATED AS A THREAT.

Narrative: THE FLT ATTENDANT BROUGHT A PAPER PLATE INTO THE COCKPIT WHICH SAID, 'SORRY NO SURVIVORS.' THE LAST WORD WAS WRITTEN IN CURSIVE AND MIGHT HAVE BEEN SOMETHING ELSE. WE CONTACTED THE COMPANY AND STARTED TRYING TO FIND OUT IF WE HAD A THREAT OR NOT. AFTER CONFERRING WITH OUR DEP STATION, MIA, AND GAINING FURTHER INFO ABOUT THE CATERER WHO PUT THE PLATES ON, THEY DECIDED THAT THERE MIGHT BE A POSSIBILITY OF A THREAT. WE CHKED THE GALLEYS, COCKPIT, AND LAVATORIES, BUT FOUND NOTHING SUSPICIOUS. AFTER IT WAS DETERMINED THAT A THREAT MIGHT HAVE EXISTED, OUR DISPATCH, TO KEEP THINGS DISCRETE, DECLARED AN EMER. WE LANDED IN DTW AND WERE MET BY POLICE AND A BOMB DOG. NO BOMB OR OTHER THREAT WAS FOUND. AS A FINAL NOTE, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE CATERER PUTTING ON THE PLATES WAS NEW, OF SPANISH BACKGND, AND IN HASTE, HAD INTENDED TO WRITE 'SORRY NO NAPKINS,' BUT COULD NOT REMEMBER THE ENGLISH WORD FOR NAPKIN, AND INSTEAD, PUT THE SPANISH WORD 'SERVERIOS.' (MISCOM WHICH COULD HAVE RESULTED IN SERIOUS INJURY IF WE HAD LET IT ESCALATE AND DONE AN EMER EVAC).

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.