Narrative:

Widebody transport flight fra-lax was over canada when informed by flight attendant that a passenger was ill, had been unconscious but was now conscious. Passenger was lying on the floor, covered with blankets and breathing from portable oxygen bottle. A medic was in attendance. While talking to passenger and his traveling companion to get medical history and pertinent information, a registered nurse presented herself. She checked passenger condition and pulse. She said it was slightly low but not alarmingly so. Passenger and nurse were moved to business class and captain returned to cockpit to advise control and other crew members of situation. Flight control could not be contacted on any HF frequency. The first aid kit was opened and stethoscope and blood pressure apparatus given to the registered nurse for her use. The closest airport was churchill (yyq) with 9200 ft plowed, dry and full ILS to runway 33. Captain returned to cabin where the registered nurse said passenger pulse was weak and she was concerned that his condition was not improving. Captain told her his first choice of airports was edmonton which was over 1.5 hours away but there was another airport, churchill, where we could obtain medical assistance and it was only 25 mins away. She indicated the closest airport would be more acceptable for the well being of the sick passenger. Decision was made to land at yyq (churchill). Descent paused at 10000 ft so passenger could be placed in a seat and belted in for landing. Fuel was dumped and landing was made and aircraft stopped just short of taxiway leading to ramp. Temperature was minus 31 degrees F, light wind and visibility cavok. After landing, captain was informed no passenger steps were available. A fire truck approached a cabin door and a ladder placed on truck to aircraft. Sick passenger was able to climb down ladder by himself. He was taken to the hospital. The fuel truck arrived, but passenger would have to be deplaned before aircraft could be fueled. Deplaning passenger for refueling was unacceptable to captain. Passenger and crew did not have proper clothing to withstand the extreme temperature which was still dropping. He feared that, while climbing down the ladders, passenger could suffer from frostbite, falls and possible heart attack. Captain requested yyq flight service to contact the air carrier by phone for weight and balance information. Getting the information took almost 4 hours and more time was spent obtaining the center of gravity from them. Aircraft was too heavy for taxiway and had to remain on the runway the entire time. APU problems made it necessary to keep #2 and #3 engines running. APU finally started and #3 engine shut down. #2 kept running for heat. Engines were started to move aircraft so an aircraft could takeoff. #1 and #3 were then shut down again. The intent was to fly to edmonton, refuel and continue to lax. Upon arrival at edmonton, while arranging service, captain was told the flight to lax had been canceled and passenger were to be taken to a hotel. Trip departed for lax the following morning. After departure, crew found that the first aid kit had been replaced but the portable oxygen bottle had not. This was entered in the logbook.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: WDB LANDS AT YYQ BECAUSE OF A SICK PAX AND IS STRANDED BECAUSE OF MINIMAL SVC AVAILABLE.

Narrative: WDB FLT FRA-LAX WAS OVER CANADA WHEN INFORMED BY FLT ATTENDANT THAT A PAX WAS ILL, HAD BEEN UNCONSCIOUS BUT WAS NOW CONSCIOUS. PAX WAS LYING ON THE FLOOR, COVERED WITH BLANKETS AND BREATHING FROM PORTABLE OXYGEN BOTTLE. A MEDIC WAS IN ATTENDANCE. WHILE TALKING TO PAX AND HIS TRAVELING COMPANION TO GET MEDICAL HISTORY AND PERTINENT INFO, A REGISTERED NURSE PRESENTED HERSELF. SHE CHKED PAX CONDITION AND PULSE. SHE SAID IT WAS SLIGHTLY LOW BUT NOT ALARMINGLY SO. PAX AND NURSE WERE MOVED TO BUSINESS CLASS AND CAPT RETURNED TO COCKPIT TO ADVISE CTL AND OTHER CREW MEMBERS OF SIT. FLT CTL COULD NOT BE CONTACTED ON ANY HF FREQ. THE FIRST AID KIT WAS OPENED AND STETHOSCOPE AND BLOOD PRESSURE APPARATUS GIVEN TO THE REGISTERED NURSE FOR HER USE. THE CLOSEST ARPT WAS CHURCHILL (YYQ) WITH 9200 FT PLOWED, DRY AND FULL ILS TO RWY 33. CAPT RETURNED TO CABIN WHERE THE REGISTERED NURSE SAID PAX PULSE WAS WEAK AND SHE WAS CONCERNED THAT HIS CONDITION WAS NOT IMPROVING. CAPT TOLD HER HIS FIRST CHOICE OF ARPTS WAS EDMONTON WHICH WAS OVER 1.5 HRS AWAY BUT THERE WAS ANOTHER ARPT, CHURCHILL, WHERE WE COULD OBTAIN MEDICAL ASSISTANCE AND IT WAS ONLY 25 MINS AWAY. SHE INDICATED THE CLOSEST ARPT WOULD BE MORE ACCEPTABLE FOR THE WELL BEING OF THE SICK PAX. DECISION WAS MADE TO LAND AT YYQ (CHURCHILL). DSCNT PAUSED AT 10000 FT SO PAX COULD BE PLACED IN A SEAT AND BELTED IN FOR LNDG. FUEL WAS DUMPED AND LNDG WAS MADE AND ACFT STOPPED JUST SHORT OF TXWY LEADING TO RAMP. TEMP WAS MINUS 31 DEGS F, LIGHT WIND AND VISIBILITY CAVOK. AFTER LNDG, CAPT WAS INFORMED NO PAX STEPS WERE AVAILABLE. A FIRE TRUCK APCHED A CABIN DOOR AND A LADDER PLACED ON TRUCK TO ACFT. SICK PAX WAS ABLE TO CLB DOWN LADDER BY HIMSELF. HE WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL. THE FUEL TRUCK ARRIVED, BUT PAX WOULD HAVE TO BE DEPLANED BEFORE ACFT COULD BE FUELED. DEPLANING PAX FOR REFUELING WAS UNACCEPTABLE TO CAPT. PAX AND CREW DID NOT HAVE PROPER CLOTHING TO WITHSTAND THE EXTREME TEMP WHICH WAS STILL DROPPING. HE FEARED THAT, WHILE CLBING DOWN THE LADDERS, PAX COULD SUFFER FROM FROSTBITE, FALLS AND POSSIBLE HEART ATTACK. CAPT REQUESTED YYQ FLT SVC TO CONTACT THE ACR BY PHONE FOR WT AND BAL INFO. GETTING THE INFO TOOK ALMOST 4 HRS AND MORE TIME WAS SPENT OBTAINING THE CTR OF GRAVITY FROM THEM. ACFT WAS TOO HVY FOR TXWY AND HAD TO REMAIN ON THE RWY THE ENTIRE TIME. APU PROBS MADE IT NECESSARY TO KEEP #2 AND #3 ENGS RUNNING. APU FINALLY STARTED AND #3 ENG SHUT DOWN. #2 KEPT RUNNING FOR HEAT. ENGS WERE STARTED TO MOVE ACFT SO AN ACFT COULD TKOF. #1 AND #3 WERE THEN SHUT DOWN AGAIN. THE INTENT WAS TO FLY TO EDMONTON, REFUEL AND CONTINUE TO LAX. UPON ARR AT EDMONTON, WHILE ARRANGING SVC, CAPT WAS TOLD THE FLT TO LAX HAD BEEN CANCELED AND PAX WERE TO BE TAKEN TO A HOTEL. TRIP DEPARTED FOR LAX THE FOLLOWING MORNING. AFTER DEP, CREW FOUND THAT THE FIRST AID KIT HAD BEEN REPLACED BUT THE PORTABLE OXYGEN BOTTLE HAD NOT. THIS WAS ENTERED IN THE LOGBOOK.

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.