Narrative:

The aircraft arrived from sao palo, honduras. It cleared customs and security. As 1 of my flight attendants walked through the cabin, she found a duty free box covered by a blanket in the 7ABC overhead. She informed the flight engineer and he informed me. I told them not to touch the box and that I would get security. I found the lead agent. Told him of the box and that he should not board the passenger and that I needed trained personnel to remove the box. He and I returned to the airplane, at which point he looked at the box, yanked it from the overhead and began to tear it open. During the argument that followed, he told me that he had security training but that he was not a trained bomb disposal expert.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: UNKNOWN PACKAGE LEFT ON ACFT. PERCEIVED AS POSSIBLE BOMB.

Narrative: THE ACFT ARRIVED FROM SAO PALO, HONDURAS. IT CLRED CUSTOMS AND SECURITY. AS 1 OF MY FLT ATTENDANTS WALKED THROUGH THE CABIN, SHE FOUND A DUTY FREE BOX COVERED BY A BLANKET IN THE 7ABC OVERHEAD. SHE INFORMED THE FE AND HE INFORMED ME. I TOLD THEM NOT TO TOUCH THE BOX AND THAT I WOULD GET SECURITY. I FOUND THE LEAD AGENT. TOLD HIM OF THE BOX AND THAT HE SHOULD NOT BOARD THE PAX AND THAT I NEEDED TRAINED PERSONNEL TO REMOVE THE BOX. HE AND I RETURNED TO THE AIRPLANE, AT WHICH POINT HE LOOKED AT THE BOX, YANKED IT FROM THE OVERHEAD AND BEGAN TO TEAR IT OPEN. DURING THE ARGUMENT THAT FOLLOWED, HE TOLD ME THAT HE HAD SECURITY TRAINING BUT THAT HE WAS NOT A TRAINED BOMB DISPOSAL EXPERT.

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.