Narrative:

The captain advised the flight attendant #1 that we would have to do an unplanned landing in denver. He advised her that we were experiencing a problem with one of the hydraulic system on board and would have to land in denver. Although the captain did not anticipate an evacuate/evacuation or any problems, he did provide the 'test' information and informed us to prepare the cabin for a planned emergency landing. Flight attendant #1 provided this information to the flight attendants. The captain made his PA, which was very informative and thorough and put the passenger at ease. The flight attendants went through the checklist. As we only had 20 mins, we got as far as ensuring the passenger understanding of PA. At that point, we took our jump seats. As I was the only flight attendant in view of all the passenger (flight attendant #3 2R door jump seat) I could tell the passenger were very calm. I believe this was because the captain was calm and informative and the flight attendants remained so, too. Although we landed at a very high speed, it was a smooth landing and we were not forced to evacuate/evacuation. Once again, the passenger remained calm. The one thing that surprised me was that after we gave our PA announcement (giving the brace information, door/slide locations, etc) passenger kept asking 'do we for sure evacuate/evacuation?' although the captain stated and PA states 'should it become necessary' it needs to be clearer and reinforced that it is not an automatic evacuate/evacuation situation. Potentially, we could have had passenger trying to evacuate/evacuation when everything was normal. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that the passenger were confused about the vague announcement, that is written in both the pilot's and flight attendant's manuals for preparing the cabin for a planned emergency, which uses the phrase 'should it become necessary to evacuate/evacuation....' she believes that the announcement should either be reworded or re-emphasized and reinforced, about 'should' it become 'necessary,' by either saying 'as a precaution' and then the rest of the statement, or at the end, 'only, if it becomes necessary.' she believes that this is a valid fear that people will not wait for the 'brace' signal, and start opening exits while taxiing or when the first sudden stop comes, if they only hear the rather diplomatic way: 'should it become....' she said that the purser later said that this was a 'class 1' emergency, but didn't know exactly what that meant. The passenger and cabin crew changed planes in denver to an S80, after a 4 hour delay.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT ATTENDANT RPT, B757, LAX-BOS, HYD PROB, DIVERT TO DEN. CABIN PREPARED FOR AN EVAC. UNEVENTFUL LNDG. SAFETY IMPROVEMENT SUGGESTED.

Narrative: THE CAPT ADVISED THE FLT ATTENDANT #1 THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO DO AN UNPLANNED LNDG IN DENVER. HE ADVISED HER THAT WE WERE EXPERIENCING A PROB WITH ONE OF THE HYD SYS ON BOARD AND WOULD HAVE TO LAND IN DENVER. ALTHOUGH THE CAPT DID NOT ANTICIPATE AN EVAC OR ANY PROBS, HE DID PROVIDE THE 'TEST' INFO AND INFORMED US TO PREPARE THE CABIN FOR A PLANNED EMER LNDG. FLT ATTENDANT #1 PROVIDED THIS INFO TO THE FLT ATTENDANTS. THE CAPT MADE HIS PA, WHICH WAS VERY INFORMATIVE AND THOROUGH AND PUT THE PAX AT EASE. THE FLT ATTENDANTS WENT THROUGH THE CHKLIST. AS WE ONLY HAD 20 MINS, WE GOT AS FAR AS ENSURING THE PAX UNDERSTANDING OF PA. AT THAT POINT, WE TOOK OUR JUMP SEATS. AS I WAS THE ONLY FLT ATTENDANT IN VIEW OF ALL THE PAX (FLT ATTENDANT #3 2R DOOR JUMP SEAT) I COULD TELL THE PAX WERE VERY CALM. I BELIEVE THIS WAS BECAUSE THE CAPT WAS CALM AND INFORMATIVE AND THE FLT ATTENDANTS REMAINED SO, TOO. ALTHOUGH WE LANDED AT A VERY HIGH SPD, IT WAS A SMOOTH LNDG AND WE WERE NOT FORCED TO EVAC. ONCE AGAIN, THE PAX REMAINED CALM. THE ONE THING THAT SURPRISED ME WAS THAT AFTER WE GAVE OUR PA ANNOUNCEMENT (GIVING THE BRACE INFO, DOOR/SLIDE LOCATIONS, ETC) PAX KEPT ASKING 'DO WE FOR SURE EVAC?' ALTHOUGH THE CAPT STATED AND PA STATES 'SHOULD IT BECOME NECESSARY' IT NEEDS TO BE CLEARER AND REINFORCED THAT IT IS NOT AN AUTOMATIC EVAC SIT. POTENTIALLY, WE COULD HAVE HAD PAX TRYING TO EVAC WHEN EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT THE PAX WERE CONFUSED ABOUT THE VAGUE ANNOUNCEMENT, THAT IS WRITTEN IN BOTH THE PLT'S AND FLT ATTENDANT'S MANUALS FOR PREPARING THE CABIN FOR A PLANNED EMER, WHICH USES THE PHRASE 'SHOULD IT BECOME NECESSARY TO EVAC....' SHE BELIEVES THAT THE ANNOUNCEMENT SHOULD EITHER BE REWORDED OR RE-EMPHASIZED AND REINFORCED, ABOUT 'SHOULD' IT BECOME 'NECESSARY,' BY EITHER SAYING 'AS A PRECAUTION' AND THEN THE REST OF THE STATEMENT, OR AT THE END, 'ONLY, IF IT BECOMES NECESSARY.' SHE BELIEVES THAT THIS IS A VALID FEAR THAT PEOPLE WILL NOT WAIT FOR THE 'BRACE' SIGNAL, AND START OPENING EXITS WHILE TAXIING OR WHEN THE FIRST SUDDEN STOP COMES, IF THEY ONLY HEAR THE RATHER DIPLOMATIC WAY: 'SHOULD IT BECOME....' SHE SAID THAT THE PURSER LATER SAID THAT THIS WAS A 'CLASS 1' EMER, BUT DIDN'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THAT MEANT. THE PAX AND CABIN CREW CHANGED PLANES IN DENVER TO AN S80, AFTER A 4 HR DELAY.

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.