Narrative:

When our crew arrived in lga from ord, we had a set time approximately 2 hours. When we went to our aircraft we had a mechanical delay for 3 hours. The passenger was in a wheelchair with no movement, head back and just breathing abnormally. We found out we had a delay, so myself, and some of the crew, left the gate for awhile. When I returned, the passenger's children had him out of the wheelchair and laying on the floor covered up and we (meaning me and the other 3 flight attendants) were concerned about this man coming on our plane. It was obvious he was near death. We talked to the gate agent's supervisor, who was there, and she made some phone calls and looked him up in the computer to see if there were any notes about this passenger, there wasn't. We expressed to her our concerns and after she made phone calls, she allowed this man to be boarded on our airplane. We felt we would incur a problem in air, but they said he could board. I was the #4 flight attendant, so I just went about plucking tickets, and passenger kept asking why this man was allowed on our plane. I feel the agents should have never allowed this passenger to fly on this plane or any plane. He was in obvious distress from the beginning. If they would have done this, we would have been able to fly straight to houston without further delays to our passenger, who already were delayed for mechanical reasons. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter places blame on their ground service in lga, who should never have boarded the man in the first place. She said that the cabin crew questioned the agent and her supervisor about taking him, and they deferred to the captain, who okayed it. She said his children had placed him on his own sheet and had him lying on it in the boarding area. The other passenger were quite concerned about someone so 'close to death' being boarded with them on a long flight. The sick man was traveling with 3 of his adult children (who spoke limited english), and who insisted on taking him to houston. When the man quit breathing in-flight, 1 of the passenger doctors onboard told the crew that they should land as soon as possible and get him to a hospital. The adult children started screaming at the crew not to land. Incidentally, they were drinking quite a bit. The crew firmly told the children that they were landing in nashville to send the man to a hospital.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT ATTENDANT RPT, S80, LGA-HOU, DIVERT TO NASHVILLE FOR ILL PAX TO GO TO A HOSPITAL.

Narrative: WHEN OUR CREW ARRIVED IN LGA FROM ORD, WE HAD A SET TIME APPROX 2 HRS. WHEN WE WENT TO OUR ACFT WE HAD A MECHANICAL DELAY FOR 3 HRS. THE PAX WAS IN A WHEELCHAIR WITH NO MOVEMENT, HEAD BACK AND JUST BREATHING ABNORMALLY. WE FOUND OUT WE HAD A DELAY, SO MYSELF, AND SOME OF THE CREW, LEFT THE GATE FOR AWHILE. WHEN I RETURNED, THE PAX'S CHILDREN HAD HIM OUT OF THE WHEELCHAIR AND LAYING ON THE FLOOR COVERED UP AND WE (MEANING ME AND THE OTHER 3 FLT ATTENDANTS) WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THIS MAN COMING ON OUR PLANE. IT WAS OBVIOUS HE WAS NEAR DEATH. WE TALKED TO THE GATE AGENT'S SUPVR, WHO WAS THERE, AND SHE MADE SOME PHONE CALLS AND LOOKED HIM UP IN THE COMPUTER TO SEE IF THERE WERE ANY NOTES ABOUT THIS PAX, THERE WASN'T. WE EXPRESSED TO HER OUR CONCERNS AND AFTER SHE MADE PHONE CALLS, SHE ALLOWED THIS MAN TO BE BOARDED ON OUR AIRPLANE. WE FELT WE WOULD INCUR A PROB IN AIR, BUT THEY SAID HE COULD BOARD. I WAS THE #4 FLT ATTENDANT, SO I JUST WENT ABOUT PLUCKING TICKETS, AND PAX KEPT ASKING WHY THIS MAN WAS ALLOWED ON OUR PLANE. I FEEL THE AGENTS SHOULD HAVE NEVER ALLOWED THIS PAX TO FLY ON THIS PLANE OR ANY PLANE. HE WAS IN OBVIOUS DISTRESS FROM THE BEGINNING. IF THEY WOULD HAVE DONE THIS, WE WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FLY STRAIGHT TO HOUSTON WITHOUT FURTHER DELAYS TO OUR PAX, WHO ALREADY WERE DELAYED FOR MECHANICAL REASONS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR PLACES BLAME ON THEIR GND SVC IN LGA, WHO SHOULD NEVER HAVE BOARDED THE MAN IN THE FIRST PLACE. SHE SAID THAT THE CABIN CREW QUESTIONED THE AGENT AND HER SUPVR ABOUT TAKING HIM, AND THEY DEFERRED TO THE CAPT, WHO OKAYED IT. SHE SAID HIS CHILDREN HAD PLACED HIM ON HIS OWN SHEET AND HAD HIM LYING ON IT IN THE BOARDING AREA. THE OTHER PAX WERE QUITE CONCERNED ABOUT SOMEONE SO 'CLOSE TO DEATH' BEING BOARDED WITH THEM ON A LONG FLT. THE SICK MAN WAS TRAVELING WITH 3 OF HIS ADULT CHILDREN (WHO SPOKE LIMITED ENGLISH), AND WHO INSISTED ON TAKING HIM TO HOUSTON. WHEN THE MAN QUIT BREATHING INFLT, 1 OF THE PAX DOCTORS ONBOARD TOLD THE CREW THAT THEY SHOULD LAND AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND GET HIM TO A HOSPITAL. THE ADULT CHILDREN STARTED SCREAMING AT THE CREW NOT TO LAND. INCIDENTALLY, THEY WERE DRINKING QUITE A BIT. THE CREW FIRMLY TOLD THE CHILDREN THAT THEY WERE LNDG IN NASHVILLE TO SEND THE MAN TO A HOSPITAL.

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.