Narrative:

I received a non specific bomb threat via company radio at FL370 over mco. Landing was quick and uneventful. Passenger were kept advised, remained calm and caused no problems. I was parked at the end of runway 17 on the parallel taxiway and advised the airstairs and busses were on the way. Shortly thereafter I asked where the stairs were, since I did not want the probability of injury associated with slide usage. Surrounded by emergency equipment, I was repeatedly told 'just a few more mins,' 'they are on the way' etc. Without my knowledge a 'stand-off' from the aircraft had been ordered and although the stairs were there and available my company was not allowed to approach the aircraft. I was never advised of this and 'led on' to believe that a stairway evacuate/evacuation was imminent. This went on for over 1 hour. This situation subsided without incident, but you can imagine what might have happened. Ground support needs to understand that a crisis is not over when the aircraft lands, but only when the passenger are safely away from the threat. A captain has the right to know (about the stand-off) so that he may base his decisions on all the information. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter was at FL370 flying a B757-200 under the control of ZJX when he was told of the bomb threat. The major problem arose on the ground at mco when the police commander would not let the passenger off the aircraft until the bomb detection squad and their dogs arrived, the captain said. The reason for the delay, he was told, was that they were having difficulty moving the airstairs and ladders across the field to the aircraft. He also said that after the passenger were finally deplaned he discovered that the airstairs and ladders had been there all the time, but nobody in the aircraft could see them because of the bright lights shining into the aircraft. According to the captain the police commander has been disciplined because the prime objective, passenger safety, was overlooked. The initial decision to not use the escape slides was out of concern for passenger safety the reporter said, but he has rethought his decision in light of the delay in this case. He now thinks that he will not accept such an unexpected delay in the future. He is glad that the threat was false. Another factor in the captain's decision was that the aircraft APU was inoperative and the passenger would have to leave the aircraft under emergency lighting only if they evacuate/evacuationed. As the flight crew waited for the airstairs they left the #2 engine running for lighting and airconditioning.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR FLC DIVERTS TO MCO WHEN THEY RECEIVE A NON SPECIFIC BOMB THREAT AND THE PAX AND CREW ARE HELD ON THE ACFT FOR OVER AN HR WHILE THE POLICE COMMANDER WAITED FOR THE BOMB DETECTION SQUAD AND THEIR DOGS.

Narrative: I RECEIVED A NON SPECIFIC BOMB THREAT VIA COMPANY RADIO AT FL370 OVER MCO. LNDG WAS QUICK AND UNEVENTFUL. PAX WERE KEPT ADVISED, REMAINED CALM AND CAUSED NO PROBS. I WAS PARKED AT THE END OF RWY 17 ON THE PARALLEL TXWY AND ADVISED THE AIRSTAIRS AND BUSSES WERE ON THE WAY. SHORTLY THEREAFTER I ASKED WHERE THE STAIRS WERE, SINCE I DID NOT WANT THE PROBABILITY OF INJURY ASSOCIATED WITH SLIDE USAGE. SURROUNDED BY EMER EQUIP, I WAS REPEATEDLY TOLD 'JUST A FEW MORE MINS,' 'THEY ARE ON THE WAY' ETC. WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE A 'STAND-OFF' FROM THE ACFT HAD BEEN ORDERED AND ALTHOUGH THE STAIRS WERE THERE AND AVAILABLE MY COMPANY WAS NOT ALLOWED TO APCH THE ACFT. I WAS NEVER ADVISED OF THIS AND 'LED ON' TO BELIEVE THAT A STAIRWAY EVAC WAS IMMINENT. THIS WENT ON FOR OVER 1 HR. THIS SIT SUBSIDED WITHOUT INCIDENT, BUT YOU CAN IMAGINE WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED. GND SUPPORT NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND THAT A CRISIS IS NOT OVER WHEN THE ACFT LANDS, BUT ONLY WHEN THE PAX ARE SAFELY AWAY FROM THE THREAT. A CAPT HAS THE RIGHT TO KNOW (ABOUT THE STAND-OFF) SO THAT HE MAY BASE HIS DECISIONS ON ALL THE INFO. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR WAS AT FL370 FLYING A B757-200 UNDER THE CTL OF ZJX WHEN HE WAS TOLD OF THE BOMB THREAT. THE MAJOR PROB AROSE ON THE GND AT MCO WHEN THE POLICE COMMANDER WOULD NOT LET THE PAX OFF THE ACFT UNTIL THE BOMB DETECTION SQUAD AND THEIR DOGS ARRIVED, THE CAPT SAID. THE REASON FOR THE DELAY, HE WAS TOLD, WAS THAT THEY WERE HAVING DIFFICULTY MOVING THE AIRSTAIRS AND LADDERS ACROSS THE FIELD TO THE ACFT. HE ALSO SAID THAT AFTER THE PAX WERE FINALLY DEPLANED HE DISCOVERED THAT THE AIRSTAIRS AND LADDERS HAD BEEN THERE ALL THE TIME, BUT NOBODY IN THE ACFT COULD SEE THEM BECAUSE OF THE BRIGHT LIGHTS SHINING INTO THE ACFT. ACCORDING TO THE CAPT THE POLICE COMMANDER HAS BEEN DISCIPLINED BECAUSE THE PRIME OBJECTIVE, PAX SAFETY, WAS OVERLOOKED. THE INITIAL DECISION TO NOT USE THE ESCAPE SLIDES WAS OUT OF CONCERN FOR PAX SAFETY THE RPTR SAID, BUT HE HAS RETHOUGHT HIS DECISION IN LIGHT OF THE DELAY IN THIS CASE. HE NOW THINKS THAT HE WILL NOT ACCEPT SUCH AN UNEXPECTED DELAY IN THE FUTURE. HE IS GLAD THAT THE THREAT WAS FALSE. ANOTHER FACTOR IN THE CAPT'S DECISION WAS THAT THE ACFT APU WAS INOP AND THE PAX WOULD HAVE TO LEAVE THE ACFT UNDER EMER LIGHTING ONLY IF THEY EVACED. AS THE FLC WAITED FOR THE AIRSTAIRS THEY LEFT THE #2 ENG RUNNING FOR LIGHTING AND AIRCONDITIONING.

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.