Flight attendant report regarding an attempted stowaway during boarding of a B727-200. Service perso...

Attributes
ACN	419311
Time
Date	199810
Day	Sat
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : ord airport : ord
State Reference	IL
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B727 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	ground : preflight
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight attendant : on duty
Qualification	other other : other
ASRS Report	419311
Person 2
Affiliation	Other
Function	observation : passenger
Qualification	other other : other
Events
Anomaly	other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other other : unspecified
Resolutory Action	other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

Passenger, who attempted to stow away, boarded the aircraft without a valid boarding pass. Passenger services personnel were operating the electronic gate reader for boarding of this flight. Apparently, something triggered their suspicion and a passenger service supervisor confronted the individual attempting to stow away. The individual was escorted off of the aircraft by passenger service and then bolted down the concourse. She was apprehended by passenger service and detained for questioning. The police were called onto the scene. Flight was delayed because the captain requested a thorough search of the aircraft and cargo for possible sabotage/bomb. After the aircraft was searched, it was brought back to the gate at the terminal and we reboarded the aircraft and departed approximately 2 hours late. No flight attendant on board was directly involved with the stowaway. Reports were filed per our procedure with the event call center. Human performance considerations: flight attendant and cabin crew were appreciative of the captain's decision to have the aircraft searched. Neither flight attendant nor cabin crew had contact with the stowaway. The incident happened quickly and most of the activity took place off of the aircraft with passenger service, local police, security and the individual attempting to stow away.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT ATTENDANT RPT REGARDING AN ATTEMPTED STOWAWAY DURING BOARDING OF A B727-200. SVC PERSONNEL AT ENTRANCE TO JETWAY BECAME SUSPICIOUS AND CONFRONTED THE PAX. POLICE WERE SUMMONED. ACFT WAS SEARCHED BEFORE DEP.

Narrative: PAX, WHO ATTEMPTED TO STOW AWAY, BOARDED THE ACFT WITHOUT A VALID BOARDING PASS. PAX SVCS PERSONNEL WERE OPERATING THE ELECTRONIC GATE READER FOR BOARDING OF THIS FLT. APPARENTLY, SOMETHING TRIGGERED THEIR SUSPICION AND A PAX SVC SUPVR CONFRONTED THE INDIVIDUAL ATTEMPTING TO STOW AWAY. THE INDIVIDUAL WAS ESCORTED OFF OF THE ACFT BY PAX SVC AND THEN BOLTED DOWN THE CONCOURSE. SHE WAS APPREHENDED BY PAX SVC AND DETAINED FOR QUESTIONING. THE POLICE WERE CALLED ONTO THE SCENE. FLT WAS DELAYED BECAUSE THE CAPT REQUESTED A THOROUGH SEARCH OF THE ACFT AND CARGO FOR POSSIBLE SABOTAGE/BOMB. AFTER THE ACFT WAS SEARCHED, IT WAS BROUGHT BACK TO THE GATE AT THE TERMINAL AND WE REBOARDED THE ACFT AND DEPARTED APPROX 2 HRS LATE. NO FLT ATTENDANT ON BOARD WAS DIRECTLY INVOLVED WITH THE STOWAWAY. RPTS WERE FILED PER OUR PROC WITH THE EVENT CALL CTR. HUMAN PERFORMANCE CONSIDERATIONS: FLT ATTENDANT AND CABIN CREW WERE APPRECIATIVE OF THE CAPT'S DECISION TO HAVE THE ACFT SEARCHED. NEITHER FLT ATTENDANT NOR CABIN CREW HAD CONTACT WITH THE STOWAWAY. THE INCIDENT HAPPENED QUICKLY AND MOST OF THE ACTIVITY TOOK PLACE OFF OF THE ACFT WITH PAX SVC, LCL POLICE, SECURITY AND THE INDIVIDUAL ATTEMPTING TO STOW AWAY.

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.

Flight attendant report regarding an attempted stowaway during boarding of a B727-200. Service personnel at entrance to jetway became suspicious and confronted the passenger. Police were summoned. Aircraft was searched before departure.