Narrative:

A relatively new flight attendant gave an unauthorized person who was impersonating an FAA inspector access to the cockpit. The flight attendant never checked the person's credentials or asked for proper documentation. When I first realized it, the unidented man was already standing in the cockpit. After asking him twice for identify he laughed and exited the flight deck. A quick debrief with the flight attendant revealed that he just took the man 'on his word' and let him in. Flight duties provided only a short period to explain the dangers of what might have occurred, so I later wrote the flight attendant a letter to explain what the proper procedures would have been in that situation. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter states that he strongly lectured the person who entered the cockpit when insisting that he exit. This is possibly why he was unable to catch him at the end of the flight and discuss the issue further. Reporter feels this was a bet between some friends as to whether he could access the cockpit or not. Reporter was very concerned regarding the flight attendant's job since he was a fairly new hire and may have had some language problems. The airline is hiring multilingual personnel for the cabin. This person may have had a cultural problem in confronting passenger and thus allowed the cockpit entry. This was a very short flight, only about 40 mins and consequently not much time without being in the sterile cockpit condition. Reporter followed up with the flight attendant by copying the company manual on procedures for cockpit entry. Credentials to be checked, etc, and placed these along with the FAA regulations in the flight attendant's company box along with an explanation of how this violates all safety aspects of flight. He was trying to keep the incident in house and preserve the flight attendant's job.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CAPT RPT REGARDING FLT ATTENDANT NEW HIRE WHO ALLOWED A PAX PRETENDING TO BE AN FAA INSPECTOR ENTRY INTO THE COCKPIT.

Narrative: A RELATIVELY NEW FLT ATTENDANT GAVE AN UNAUTH PERSON WHO WAS IMPERSONATING AN FAA INSPECTOR ACCESS TO THE COCKPIT. THE FLT ATTENDANT NEVER CHKED THE PERSON'S CREDENTIALS OR ASKED FOR PROPER DOCUMENTATION. WHEN I FIRST REALIZED IT, THE UNIDENTED MAN WAS ALREADY STANDING IN THE COCKPIT. AFTER ASKING HIM TWICE FOR IDENT HE LAUGHED AND EXITED THE FLT DECK. A QUICK DEBRIEF WITH THE FLT ATTENDANT REVEALED THAT HE JUST TOOK THE MAN 'ON HIS WORD' AND LET HIM IN. FLT DUTIES PROVIDED ONLY A SHORT PERIOD TO EXPLAIN THE DANGERS OF WHAT MIGHT HAVE OCCURRED, SO I LATER WROTE THE FLT ATTENDANT A LETTER TO EXPLAIN WHAT THE PROPER PROCS WOULD HAVE BEEN IN THAT SIT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT HE STRONGLY LECTURED THE PERSON WHO ENTERED THE COCKPIT WHEN INSISTING THAT HE EXIT. THIS IS POSSIBLY WHY HE WAS UNABLE TO CATCH HIM AT THE END OF THE FLT AND DISCUSS THE ISSUE FURTHER. RPTR FEELS THIS WAS A BET BTWN SOME FRIENDS AS TO WHETHER HE COULD ACCESS THE COCKPIT OR NOT. RPTR WAS VERY CONCERNED REGARDING THE FLT ATTENDANT'S JOB SINCE HE WAS A FAIRLY NEW HIRE AND MAY HAVE HAD SOME LANGUAGE PROBS. THE AIRLINE IS HIRING MULTILINGUAL PERSONNEL FOR THE CABIN. THIS PERSON MAY HAVE HAD A CULTURAL PROB IN CONFRONTING PAX AND THUS ALLOWED THE COCKPIT ENTRY. THIS WAS A VERY SHORT FLT, ONLY ABOUT 40 MINS AND CONSEQUENTLY NOT MUCH TIME WITHOUT BEING IN THE STERILE COCKPIT CONDITION. RPTR FOLLOWED UP WITH THE FLT ATTENDANT BY COPYING THE COMPANY MANUAL ON PROCS FOR COCKPIT ENTRY. CREDENTIALS TO BE CHKED, ETC, AND PLACED THESE ALONG WITH THE FAA REGS IN THE FLT ATTENDANT'S COMPANY BOX ALONG WITH AN EXPLANATION OF HOW THIS VIOLATES ALL SAFETY ASPECTS OF FLT. HE WAS TRYING TO KEEP THE INCIDENT IN HOUSE AND PRESERVE THE FLT ATTENDANT'S JOB.

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.