Narrative:

Passenger did not deplane upon arrival because she was asleep under mound of blankets. Cabin crew assumed aircraft was passenger free and left aircraft for a 3 hour ground situation. Passenger was not visible from under the mound of blankets, crew assumed cabin cleaners would fold the blankets. An FAA cabin inspector walked through aircraft while crew was in terminal and he, too, missed the passenger under the blankets. On his second walk through, he observed the blankets had moved, and he escorted the passenger off aircraft. APU was not running so passenger was not in death threatening situation. The situation can be corrected by all passenger being asked to situation upright with seat belt fastened on takeoff and landing, no exceptions. No blanket covered bodies. (I want to stress that this passenger who overslept her arrival, did have her seat belt fastened.) callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the aci informed the reporter that a report would be filed regarding this incident. Reporter (lead flight attendant) states that this should not have happened. Company procedures require the lead flight attendant to perform a final walk through after the passenger have deplaned. The lead flight attendant's inspection procedure was the company's response to a recent slew of unscheduled slide deployments (as a result of slides being left in the armed position during ground servicing). Reporter failed to complete a walk through, she felt that the more senior flight attendant in the back of the aircraft would take care of things. In a discussion with the captain, and the station agent, the reporter learned that this particular passenger had traveled all the way from australia, had been rerted in the process, and was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The station agent stated that the passenger had been asleep on the concourse floor prior to boarding, and was nearly impossible to awaken.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DURING AN FAA DC9 CABIN INSPECTION, A DESERTED, SLEEPING PAX WAS DISCOVERED UNDER BLANKETS. ALL OF THE CREW MEMBERS HAD DEPLANED.

Narrative: PAX DID NOT DEPLANE UPON ARR BECAUSE SHE WAS ASLEEP UNDER MOUND OF BLANKETS. CABIN CREW ASSUMED ACFT WAS PAX FREE AND LEFT ACFT FOR A 3 HR GND SIT. PAX WAS NOT VISIBLE FROM UNDER THE MOUND OF BLANKETS, CREW ASSUMED CABIN CLEANERS WOULD FOLD THE BLANKETS. AN FAA CABIN INSPECTOR WALKED THROUGH ACFT WHILE CREW WAS IN TERMINAL AND HE, TOO, MISSED THE PAX UNDER THE BLANKETS. ON HIS SECOND WALK THROUGH, HE OBSERVED THE BLANKETS HAD MOVED, AND HE ESCORTED THE PAX OFF ACFT. APU WAS NOT RUNNING SO PAX WAS NOT IN DEATH THREATENING SIT. THE SIT CAN BE CORRECTED BY ALL PAX BEING ASKED TO SIT UPRIGHT WITH SEAT BELT FASTENED ON TKOF AND LNDG, NO EXCEPTIONS. NO BLANKET COVERED BODIES. (I WANT TO STRESS THAT THIS PAX WHO OVERSLEPT HER ARR, DID HAVE HER SEAT BELT FASTENED.) CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE ACI INFORMED THE RPTR THAT A RPT WOULD BE FILED REGARDING THIS INCIDENT. RPTR (LEAD FLT ATTENDANT) STATES THAT THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED. COMPANY PROCS REQUIRE THE LEAD FLT ATTENDANT TO PERFORM A FINAL WALK THROUGH AFTER THE PAX HAVE DEPLANED. THE LEAD FLT ATTENDANT'S INSPECTION PROC WAS THE COMPANY'S RESPONSE TO A RECENT SLEW OF UNSCHEDULED SLIDE DEPLOYMENTS (AS A RESULT OF SLIDES BEING LEFT IN THE ARMED POS DURING GND SVCING). RPTR FAILED TO COMPLETE A WALK THROUGH, SHE FELT THAT THE MORE SENIOR FLT ATTENDANT IN THE BACK OF THE ACFT WOULD TAKE CARE OF THINGS. IN A DISCUSSION WITH THE CAPT, AND THE STATION AGENT, THE RPTR LEARNED THAT THIS PARTICULAR PAX HAD TRAVELED ALL THE WAY FROM AUSTRALIA, HAD BEEN RERTED IN THE PROCESS, AND WAS SUSPECTED OF BEING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL OR DRUGS. THE STATION AGENT STATED THAT THE PAX HAD BEEN ASLEEP ON THE CONCOURSE FLOOR PRIOR TO BOARDING, AND WAS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO AWAKEN.

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.