Narrative:

At XP06 on mar/sat/00 we took off from sea bound for ont. Out of 10000 ft, one of the flight attendants called and said she was pretty sure there was a bomb in a bag. I went back to the rear to take a look. It was a dark green, dirty bag, which she had opened. Inside was a timer, a device with circuitry on it and wires leading from the timer to this device. There was an object underneath the timer that looked like a small pack wrapped in cloth or paper. There was a white hair dryer that seemed to be assembled, but not correctly. I told the flight attendant 'that's a bomb, we'll go back.' I quickly went to the cockpit and told the captain. We were 36.5 DME from sea on the summa 5 departure tracking the 143 degree radial. The captain was talking to ATC, getting a return to sea. I called dispatch and told them we were returning, landing in just over 5 mins, we had a potential bomb on board. There was a moderate rainshower 7-10 mi out on final to runway 34R at sea. I requested the crash fire rescue equipment trucks. The 'B' flight attendant called and asked if we wanted the bomb in the tail cone -- the least risk area on the MD80. Our cabin altitude was 2100 ft and we were about 3 mins from landing. I asked the captain if he wanted it in the tailcone. He said no. He said later he thought that I was referring to a pressure switch on the bomb, but I was referring to the fact we would have to dump the cabin. The 'B' flight attendant zipped up the bag and put it under the seat. About 2 mi out, I couldn't see any crash fire rescue equipment trucks. Ground told us to cross over to the west side and follow the port of sea van. We wanted to stop and evacuate/evacuation as soon as we crossed, but felt like we would take another 30 seconds and taxi all the way to the 'bomb spot.' we came to a stop, I ran the evacuate/evacuation checklist and while the captain helped the 'a' flight attendant open the front door. I stood up to help with the stairs, which still weren't ready. 5 seconds later the captain commanded, 'evacuate/evacuation.' the 'B' flight attendant opened the forward galley door R1, and popped the slide. I shouted at the people coming out the airstairs to move away from airplane. I went back to L2 and helped people down the slide. I enlisted another man to gather the others who were running across the field. I ran into 2 other flight attendants who were looking for the 6 yr old unaccompanied minor. At this time, the police and firefighters were taking control of the situation. I talked to the police trying to explain the bomb device and tell them where it was located, but I didn't realize that the 'B' flight attendant had put it under the seat. The police had trouble locating the device. We went with the passenger to the terminal to be quarantined. I flew the next day, as did the captain. There were 2 minor injuries. The consensus was the emergency and subsequent evacuate/evacuation was handled well. The decision to use the stairs first, probably was our biggest mistake. We should have evacuate/evacuationed through all the doors. We later learned that since we advised the flight attendants that we would use the stairs, but standby for a full evacuate/evacuation, they disarmed the doors. When the captain called for the evacuate/evacuation, the 'C' flight attendant opened L2 and was looking down at the ground with no slide. We had 2 flight attendant trainees on board who helped and, in fact, 1 trainee went to the tailcone in the dark and released the tail and kicked over the slide, which hadn't deployed. They both helped people evacuate/evacuation through the tailcone. The whole evacuate/evacuation took less than 90 seconds. Many passenger grabbed their carry-ONS, which created a big pile in the cockpit and spilling out into the cabin. No one would leave their laptop on board. We should have been separated from the passenger in the quarantine area. Several passenger came up to us to talk, and some were angry with us. I did not hear the captain declare an emergency. The bomb was actually a device made to look like a bomb. It was used by a security company to test the security screeners at seatac. The person conducting the test lost control of the bag and a passenger picked up the 'wrong' bag and put it with an unaccompanied minor (family). The 2 of them went to the gate and the adult passenger sent the minor on the airplane by himself, as an unaccompanied minor, with a 'bomb.' callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the unaccompanied minor wanted his crayons and then he said 'that's not my bag.' the flight attendant looked in it and discovered the 'bomb.' the captain made an announcement that they were turning around and going back to seattle, because of suspicious material found. After the debriefing, some passenger were upset that they weren't directly told it was a bomb. The reporter alleges that the problem of not being able to use the front door's stairs was caused by the flight attendant, in her panic, forgetting to crack the door open first, and then releasing the stairs. The first officer reckons that he was hit about 6 or 7 times with carry-on items that the passenger were trying to take with them, before the flight attendant pushing people out noticed, and got more aggressive in preventing the people jumping with them in hand. At the debriefing later, the reporter was told that when the security company's employee running the test discovered the backpack was taken, they purportedly made an announcement in the terminal. In the reporter's mind, they should have shut down the airport immediately, until they found the bag. The vice president of in-flight services later went and watched the video of the bag going through the x-ray machine, the security attendants noticing it, and then, distracted by something, let it go on through, where it was picked up by the boy's guardian. The flight attendant's contract automatically gives them 7 days off after such an incident.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT RPT, MD80, SEA-ONT, UNACCOMPANIED MINOR HAD WRONG BACKPACK CONTAINING A DUMMY BOMB. RETURN LAND. ACFT EVACED. ARPT SECURITY BREACH.

Narrative: AT XP06 ON MAR/SAT/00 WE TOOK OFF FROM SEA BOUND FOR ONT. OUT OF 10000 FT, ONE OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS CALLED AND SAID SHE WAS PRETTY SURE THERE WAS A BOMB IN A BAG. I WENT BACK TO THE REAR TO TAKE A LOOK. IT WAS A DARK GREEN, DIRTY BAG, WHICH SHE HAD OPENED. INSIDE WAS A TIMER, A DEVICE WITH CIRCUITRY ON IT AND WIRES LEADING FROM THE TIMER TO THIS DEVICE. THERE WAS AN OBJECT UNDERNEATH THE TIMER THAT LOOKED LIKE A SMALL PACK WRAPPED IN CLOTH OR PAPER. THERE WAS A WHITE HAIR DRYER THAT SEEMED TO BE ASSEMBLED, BUT NOT CORRECTLY. I TOLD THE FLT ATTENDANT 'THAT'S A BOMB, WE'LL GO BACK.' I QUICKLY WENT TO THE COCKPIT AND TOLD THE CAPT. WE WERE 36.5 DME FROM SEA ON THE SUMMA 5 DEP TRACKING THE 143 DEG RADIAL. THE CAPT WAS TALKING TO ATC, GETTING A RETURN TO SEA. I CALLED DISPATCH AND TOLD THEM WE WERE RETURNING, LNDG IN JUST OVER 5 MINS, WE HAD A POTENTIAL BOMB ON BOARD. THERE WAS A MODERATE RAINSHOWER 7-10 MI OUT ON FINAL TO RWY 34R AT SEA. I REQUESTED THE CFR TRUCKS. THE 'B' FLT ATTENDANT CALLED AND ASKED IF WE WANTED THE BOMB IN THE TAIL CONE -- THE LEAST RISK AREA ON THE MD80. OUR CABIN ALT WAS 2100 FT AND WE WERE ABOUT 3 MINS FROM LNDG. I ASKED THE CAPT IF HE WANTED IT IN THE TAILCONE. HE SAID NO. HE SAID LATER HE THOUGHT THAT I WAS REFERRING TO A PRESSURE SWITCH ON THE BOMB, BUT I WAS REFERRING TO THE FACT WE WOULD HAVE TO DUMP THE CABIN. THE 'B' FLT ATTENDANT ZIPPED UP THE BAG AND PUT IT UNDER THE SEAT. ABOUT 2 MI OUT, I COULDN'T SEE ANY CFR TRUCKS. GND TOLD US TO CROSS OVER TO THE W SIDE AND FOLLOW THE PORT OF SEA VAN. WE WANTED TO STOP AND EVAC AS SOON AS WE CROSSED, BUT FELT LIKE WE WOULD TAKE ANOTHER 30 SECONDS AND TAXI ALL THE WAY TO THE 'BOMB SPOT.' WE CAME TO A STOP, I RAN THE EVAC CHKLIST AND WHILE THE CAPT HELPED THE 'A' FLT ATTENDANT OPEN THE FRONT DOOR. I STOOD UP TO HELP WITH THE STAIRS, WHICH STILL WEREN'T READY. 5 SECONDS LATER THE CAPT COMMANDED, 'EVAC.' THE 'B' FLT ATTENDANT OPENED THE FORWARD GALLEY DOOR R1, AND POPPED THE SLIDE. I SHOUTED AT THE PEOPLE COMING OUT THE AIRSTAIRS TO MOVE AWAY FROM AIRPLANE. I WENT BACK TO L2 AND HELPED PEOPLE DOWN THE SLIDE. I ENLISTED ANOTHER MAN TO GATHER THE OTHERS WHO WERE RUNNING ACROSS THE FIELD. I RAN INTO 2 OTHER FLT ATTENDANTS WHO WERE LOOKING FOR THE 6 YR OLD UNACCOMPANIED MINOR. AT THIS TIME, THE POLICE AND FIREFIGHTERS WERE TAKING CTL OF THE SIT. I TALKED TO THE POLICE TRYING TO EXPLAIN THE BOMB DEVICE AND TELL THEM WHERE IT WAS LOCATED, BUT I DIDN'T REALIZE THAT THE 'B' FLT ATTENDANT HAD PUT IT UNDER THE SEAT. THE POLICE HAD TROUBLE LOCATING THE DEVICE. WE WENT WITH THE PAX TO THE TERMINAL TO BE QUARANTINED. I FLEW THE NEXT DAY, AS DID THE CAPT. THERE WERE 2 MINOR INJURIES. THE CONSENSUS WAS THE EMER AND SUBSEQUENT EVAC WAS HANDLED WELL. THE DECISION TO USE THE STAIRS FIRST, PROBABLY WAS OUR BIGGEST MISTAKE. WE SHOULD HAVE EVACED THROUGH ALL THE DOORS. WE LATER LEARNED THAT SINCE WE ADVISED THE FLT ATTENDANTS THAT WE WOULD USE THE STAIRS, BUT STANDBY FOR A FULL EVAC, THEY DISARMED THE DOORS. WHEN THE CAPT CALLED FOR THE EVAC, THE 'C' FLT ATTENDANT OPENED L2 AND WAS LOOKING DOWN AT THE GND WITH NO SLIDE. WE HAD 2 FLT ATTENDANT TRAINEES ON BOARD WHO HELPED AND, IN FACT, 1 TRAINEE WENT TO THE TAILCONE IN THE DARK AND RELEASED THE TAIL AND KICKED OVER THE SLIDE, WHICH HADN'T DEPLOYED. THEY BOTH HELPED PEOPLE EVAC THROUGH THE TAILCONE. THE WHOLE EVAC TOOK LESS THAN 90 SECONDS. MANY PAX GRABBED THEIR CARRY-ONS, WHICH CREATED A BIG PILE IN THE COCKPIT AND SPILLING OUT INTO THE CABIN. NO ONE WOULD LEAVE THEIR LAPTOP ON BOARD. WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN SEPARATED FROM THE PAX IN THE QUARANTINE AREA. SEVERAL PAX CAME UP TO US TO TALK, AND SOME WERE ANGRY WITH US. I DID NOT HEAR THE CAPT DECLARE AN EMER. THE BOMB WAS ACTUALLY A DEVICE MADE TO LOOK LIKE A BOMB. IT WAS USED BY A SECURITY COMPANY TO TEST THE SECURITY SCREENERS AT SEATAC. THE PERSON CONDUCTING THE TEST LOST CTL OF THE BAG AND A PAX PICKED UP THE 'WRONG' BAG AND PUT IT WITH AN UNACCOMPANIED MINOR (FAMILY). THE 2 OF THEM WENT TO THE GATE AND THE ADULT PAX SENT THE MINOR ON THE AIRPLANE BY HIMSELF, AS AN UNACCOMPANIED MINOR, WITH A 'BOMB.' CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE UNACCOMPANIED MINOR WANTED HIS CRAYONS AND THEN HE SAID 'THAT'S NOT MY BAG.' THE FLT ATTENDANT LOOKED IN IT AND DISCOVERED THE 'BOMB.' THE CAPT MADE AN ANNOUNCEMENT THAT THEY WERE TURNING AROUND AND GOING BACK TO SEATTLE, BECAUSE OF SUSPICIOUS MATERIAL FOUND. AFTER THE DEBRIEFING, SOME PAX WERE UPSET THAT THEY WEREN'T DIRECTLY TOLD IT WAS A BOMB. THE RPTR ALLEGES THAT THE PROB OF NOT BEING ABLE TO USE THE FRONT DOOR'S STAIRS WAS CAUSED BY THE FLT ATTENDANT, IN HER PANIC, FORGETTING TO CRACK THE DOOR OPEN FIRST, AND THEN RELEASING THE STAIRS. THE FO RECKONS THAT HE WAS HIT ABOUT 6 OR 7 TIMES WITH CARRY-ON ITEMS THAT THE PAX WERE TRYING TO TAKE WITH THEM, BEFORE THE FLT ATTENDANT PUSHING PEOPLE OUT NOTICED, AND GOT MORE AGGRESSIVE IN PREVENTING THE PEOPLE JUMPING WITH THEM IN HAND. AT THE DEBRIEFING LATER, THE RPTR WAS TOLD THAT WHEN THE SECURITY COMPANY'S EMPLOYEE RUNNING THE TEST DISCOVERED THE BACKPACK WAS TAKEN, THEY PURPORTEDLY MADE AN ANNOUNCEMENT IN THE TERMINAL. IN THE RPTR'S MIND, THEY SHOULD HAVE SHUT DOWN THE ARPT IMMEDIATELY, UNTIL THEY FOUND THE BAG. THE VICE PRESIDENT OF INFLT SVCS LATER WENT AND WATCHED THE VIDEO OF THE BAG GOING THROUGH THE X-RAY MACHINE, THE SECURITY ATTENDANTS NOTICING IT, AND THEN, DISTRACTED BY SOMETHING, LET IT GO ON THROUGH, WHERE IT WAS PICKED UP BY THE BOY'S GUARDIAN. THE FLT ATTENDANT'S CONTRACT AUTOMATICALLY GIVES THEM 7 DAYS OFF AFTER SUCH AN INCIDENT.

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.