Narrative:

ATC facility: boston. Location: ramp at bos. Yesterday, at boston we had a situation with a hot cabin that could have been catastrophic. What happened was this. We started boarding flight xx 30 mins early for an on time departure. Although there had been talk of an ATC delay, we contacted clearance and they assured us that there wasn't. Knowing that we had a weak APU, we wanted out of there fast. At XA37 local the agent closed the door. All cargo doors were open but we thought that they would soon be closed. Cabin temperature was around 88 degrees and climbing. At about XA47, cabin now at 90 degrees, we called operations to inquire about the cargo doors as well as a tug. We were told that they hadn't even started loading the bags and wouldn't for about 20 mins. I then asked for the jetbridge to be pulled up and the door opened. We were told no way, no passenger were going to get off. I then asked for preconditioned air, which boston did not have. Over the next 10 mins I pleaded that the jetbridge be pulled up, and the people let off, at least 4 times. At about XB05 local the flight attendant came up to tell us that we had 2 children that were having breathing problems, as well as an elderly person with asthma. I once again begged, to no avail. Finally, with the cabin well into the 90's I told them that we would call the fire department and go out on the slides. Finally they opened the door. But it still took a 5 min debate to convince them that the situation was dire. Finally, the people got off. Everyone and including the children and the elderly person recovered and were reboarded about XB20 local. Now with everyone boarded, we did encounter a real ATC delay of indefinite proportions. In a nutshell, the entire series of events was repeated. Cabin temperature started to climb, people started to complain, and the station refused to let the people off. At about XB50 local the flight attendant came up to repeat the previous problem. Children and elderly people having trouble breathing. Finally, I had enough. I decided to take the aircraft OTS in the interest of human dignity. Once again, it was a major ordeal getting the door opened. My main reason for this report is that I feel that this situation, and many more that I've seen like it, is a serious safety problem. While not blaming anyone in particular, and customer service issues aside, when I as the captain, want the people off the airplane, that request should be met. In this case, we had what could have been a serious medical problem. What if it had been smoke or fire in the cabin? I think everyone should agree that threatening to go out the slides is not the best way to orderly deplane a jet. When a captain wants the bridge pulled up and the people deplaned, in the interest of safety, please no arguments. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter's main reason for writing the report is to complain about the lack of captain authority/authorized. He made a request several times to get passenger off of a hot airplane, or get air conditioning truck for the benefit of the passenger. The aircraft APU was weak and couldn't supply adequate cooling air. Reporter felt they were close to an emergency. In a few mins he was going to evacuate/evacuation the aircraft. He was really frustrated over the fact that no one would follow his commands. He did not recall the outside air temperature, but the cabin was going past 88 degrees and he felt 90 degrees would not be too far away. With the high temperatures, he never did open any other cabin doors while waiting for help from ground personnel. Further, restated, this report is really a complaint about customer service. Many of these items could be anticipated to develop into safety problems if the passenger stayed on board the aircraft much longer. The FK100 carries 97 passenger and he had about 90 passenger that day. Many were expressing problems with heat and shortness of breath. He felt frustrated that no one was helping to alleviate the problem in some way. Eventually, the passenger deplaned, the reporter wrote up the aircraft for insufficient cooling and took the aircraft OTS. Biggest complaint is that no one pays any attention to the captain's requests or commands.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACFT AWAITING DEP AT THE GATE AT BOS, MA, HAS INSUFFICIENT COOLING. PAX SUFFER FROM HEAT AND BREATHING DIFFICULTIES.

Narrative: ATC FACILITY: BOSTON. LOCATION: RAMP AT BOS. YESTERDAY, AT BOSTON WE HAD A SITUATION WITH A HOT CABIN THAT COULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC. WHAT HAPPENED WAS THIS. WE STARTED BOARDING FLT XX 30 MINS EARLY FOR AN ON TIME DEP. ALTHOUGH THERE HAD BEEN TALK OF AN ATC DELAY, WE CONTACTED CLRNC AND THEY ASSURED US THAT THERE WASN'T. KNOWING THAT WE HAD A WEAK APU, WE WANTED OUT OF THERE FAST. AT XA37 LCL THE AGENT CLOSED THE DOOR. ALL CARGO DOORS WERE OPEN BUT WE THOUGHT THAT THEY WOULD SOON BE CLOSED. CABIN TEMP WAS AROUND 88 DEGS AND CLBING. AT ABOUT XA47, CABIN NOW AT 90 DEGS, WE CALLED OPS TO INQUIRE ABOUT THE CARGO DOORS AS WELL AS A TUG. WE WERE TOLD THAT THEY HADN'T EVEN STARTED LOADING THE BAGS AND WOULDN'T FOR ABOUT 20 MINS. I THEN ASKED FOR THE JETBRIDGE TO BE PULLED UP AND THE DOOR OPENED. WE WERE TOLD NO WAY, NO PAX WERE GOING TO GET OFF. I THEN ASKED FOR PRECONDITIONED AIR, WHICH BOSTON DID NOT HAVE. OVER THE NEXT 10 MINS I PLEADED THAT THE JETBRIDGE BE PULLED UP, AND THE PEOPLE LET OFF, AT LEAST 4 TIMES. AT ABOUT XB05 LCL THE FLT ATTENDANT CAME UP TO TELL US THAT WE HAD 2 CHILDREN THAT WERE HAVING BREATHING PROBS, AS WELL AS AN ELDERLY PERSON WITH ASTHMA. I ONCE AGAIN BEGGED, TO NO AVAIL. FINALLY, WITH THE CABIN WELL INTO THE 90'S I TOLD THEM THAT WE WOULD CALL THE FIRE DEPT AND GO OUT ON THE SLIDES. FINALLY THEY OPENED THE DOOR. BUT IT STILL TOOK A 5 MIN DEBATE TO CONVINCE THEM THAT THE SIT WAS DIRE. FINALLY, THE PEOPLE GOT OFF. EVERYONE AND INCLUDING THE CHILDREN AND THE ELDERLY PERSON RECOVERED AND WERE REBOARDED ABOUT XB20 LCL. NOW WITH EVERYONE BOARDED, WE DID ENCOUNTER A REAL ATC DELAY OF INDEFINITE PROPORTIONS. IN A NUTSHELL, THE ENTIRE SERIES OF EVENTS WAS REPEATED. CABIN TEMP STARTED TO CLB, PEOPLE STARTED TO COMPLAIN, AND THE STATION REFUSED TO LET THE PEOPLE OFF. AT ABOUT XB50 LCL THE FLT ATTENDANT CAME UP TO REPEAT THE PREVIOUS PROB. CHILDREN AND ELDERLY PEOPLE HAVING TROUBLE BREATHING. FINALLY, I HAD ENOUGH. I DECIDED TO TAKE THE ACFT OTS IN THE INTEREST OF HUMAN DIGNITY. ONCE AGAIN, IT WAS A MAJOR ORDEAL GETTING THE DOOR OPENED. MY MAIN REASON FOR THIS RPT IS THAT I FEEL THAT THIS SIT, AND MANY MORE THAT I'VE SEEN LIKE IT, IS A SERIOUS SAFETY PROB. WHILE NOT BLAMING ANYONE IN PARTICULAR, AND CUSTOMER SVC ISSUES ASIDE, WHEN I AS THE CAPT, WANT THE PEOPLE OFF THE AIRPLANE, THAT REQUEST SHOULD BE MET. IN THIS CASE, WE HAD WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN A SERIOUS MEDICAL PROB. WHAT IF IT HAD BEEN SMOKE OR FIRE IN THE CABIN? I THINK EVERYONE SHOULD AGREE THAT THREATENING TO GO OUT THE SLIDES IS NOT THE BEST WAY TO ORDERLY DEPLANE A JET. WHEN A CAPT WANTS THE BRIDGE PULLED UP AND THE PEOPLE DEPLANED, IN THE INTEREST OF SAFETY, PLEASE NO ARGUMENTS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR'S MAIN REASON FOR WRITING THE RPT IS TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE LACK OF CAPT AUTH. HE MADE A REQUEST SEVERAL TIMES TO GET PAX OFF OF A HOT AIRPLANE, OR GET AIR CONDITIONING TRUCK FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PAX. THE ACFT APU WAS WEAK AND COULDN'T SUPPLY ADEQUATE COOLING AIR. RPTR FELT THEY WERE CLOSE TO AN EMER. IN A FEW MINS HE WAS GOING TO EVAC THE ACFT. HE WAS REALLY FRUSTRATED OVER THE FACT THAT NO ONE WOULD FOLLOW HIS COMMANDS. HE DID NOT RECALL THE OUTSIDE AIR TEMP, BUT THE CABIN WAS GOING PAST 88 DEGS AND HE FELT 90 DEGS WOULD NOT BE TOO FAR AWAY. WITH THE HIGH TEMPS, HE NEVER DID OPEN ANY OTHER CABIN DOORS WHILE WAITING FOR HELP FROM GND PERSONNEL. FURTHER, RESTATED, THIS RPT IS REALLY A COMPLAINT ABOUT CUSTOMER SVC. MANY OF THESE ITEMS COULD BE ANTICIPATED TO DEVELOP INTO SAFETY PROBS IF THE PAX STAYED ON BOARD THE ACFT MUCH LONGER. THE FK100 CARRIES 97 PAX AND HE HAD ABOUT 90 PAX THAT DAY. MANY WERE EXPRESSING PROBS WITH HEAT AND SHORTNESS OF BREATH. HE FELT FRUSTRATED THAT NO ONE WAS HELPING TO ALLEVIATE THE PROB IN SOME WAY. EVENTUALLY, THE PAX DEPLANED, THE RPTR WROTE UP THE ACFT FOR INSUFFICIENT COOLING AND TOOK THE ACFT OTS. BIGGEST COMPLAINT IS THAT NO ONE PAYS ANY ATTN TO THE CAPT'S REQUESTS OR COMMANDS.

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.