Narrative:

Approximately at XA00, the captain notified the purser, who called to the aft galley to tell us to get our manuals, as we had a hydraulics problem and would need to prepare our passenger for a planned emergency evacuate/evacuation. We would be landing at the closest airport in approximately 40 mins. I got my manual from behind my jump seat at row 3R, and took my planned emergency evacuate/evacuation checklist out. I looked over the checklist, as the captain made a PA, notifying passenger of the situation. I tried to calm down passenger who were scared, confused and full of questions. The purser began a PA instructing passenger on what to do, as flight attendants were in aisle demonstrating the brace position/pointing out exits, etc. It was difficult to hear the purser over the PA, as passenger kept trying to get my attention for assurance and information. Many elderly passenger onboard -- some of whom were wailing, also making it difficult to hear the purser's PA, and complete the demonstration. Babies' anxious cries muffled the PA as well. Once the demonstration was completed and passenger were reseated, items stowed and assistants chosen, reseated and briefed, all was relatively calm, save for crying babies (due to excitement) and some crying elderly passenger near my jump seat. I tried to calm them with smiles and soft voice, since I'm not a foreign language speaker. Both foreign language speakers did their best briefing passenger personally in addition to well-spoken PA translations. I faced passenger at my 3L jump seat and continuously reminded them that this was a precautionary measure we had to take. I tried to joke with my assistants seated directly in front of me, as I sensed they were very apprehensive. Shortly before touchdown I heard the 'brace' command and repeated it with other flight attendants. We reminded a few passenger to keep their heads down. Rough landing, but no evacuate/evacuation necessary. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that they diverted to charleston, where the airport didn't have the facilities to handle such a big jet, so they had to situation on the taxiway for 40 mins. A passenger started to have heart problems, so they had to wait for paramedics to come take him off before they were towed to the gate. The plane was taken OTS and the flight canceled. Eventually, another plane was ferried in from new york to take the passenger home. There was a lot of very frightened passenger, some were hysterical. The reporter attributes some of the panic to the language difficulties. She, herself, was scared. Her designated helpers were excellent in helping calm the people.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CABIN ATTENDANT RPT, A300, SJU-JFK. HYD PROB. DIVERT TO CHARLESTON. PREPARED EMER LNDG. PAX PANICKED. PAX HEART PROB. PARAMEDICS MET FLT. FLT CANCELED.

Narrative: APPROX AT XA00, THE CAPT NOTIFIED THE PURSER, WHO CALLED TO THE AFT GALLEY TO TELL US TO GET OUR MANUALS, AS WE HAD A HYDS PROB AND WOULD NEED TO PREPARE OUR PAX FOR A PLANNED EMER EVAC. WE WOULD BE LNDG AT THE CLOSEST ARPT IN APPROX 40 MINS. I GOT MY MANUAL FROM BEHIND MY JUMP SEAT AT ROW 3R, AND TOOK MY PLANNED EMER EVAC CHKLIST OUT. I LOOKED OVER THE CHKLIST, AS THE CAPT MADE A PA, NOTIFYING PAX OF THE SIT. I TRIED TO CALM DOWN PAX WHO WERE SCARED, CONFUSED AND FULL OF QUESTIONS. THE PURSER BEGAN A PA INSTRUCTING PAX ON WHAT TO DO, AS FLT ATTENDANTS WERE IN AISLE DEMONSTRATING THE BRACE POS/POINTING OUT EXITS, ETC. IT WAS DIFFICULT TO HEAR THE PURSER OVER THE PA, AS PAX KEPT TRYING TO GET MY ATTN FOR ASSURANCE AND INFO. MANY ELDERLY PAX ONBOARD -- SOME OF WHOM WERE WAILING, ALSO MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO HEAR THE PURSER'S PA, AND COMPLETE THE DEMONSTRATION. BABIES' ANXIOUS CRIES MUFFLED THE PA AS WELL. ONCE THE DEMONSTRATION WAS COMPLETED AND PAX WERE RESEATED, ITEMS STOWED AND ASSISTANTS CHOSEN, RESEATED AND BRIEFED, ALL WAS RELATIVELY CALM, SAVE FOR CRYING BABIES (DUE TO EXCITEMENT) AND SOME CRYING ELDERLY PAX NEAR MY JUMP SEAT. I TRIED TO CALM THEM WITH SMILES AND SOFT VOICE, SINCE I'M NOT A FOREIGN LANGUAGE SPEAKER. BOTH FOREIGN LANGUAGE SPEAKERS DID THEIR BEST BRIEFING PAX PERSONALLY IN ADDITION TO WELL-SPOKEN PA TRANSLATIONS. I FACED PAX AT MY 3L JUMP SEAT AND CONTINUOUSLY REMINDED THEM THAT THIS WAS A PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE WE HAD TO TAKE. I TRIED TO JOKE WITH MY ASSISTANTS SEATED DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF ME, AS I SENSED THEY WERE VERY APPREHENSIVE. SHORTLY BEFORE TOUCHDOWN I HEARD THE 'BRACE' COMMAND AND REPEATED IT WITH OTHER FLT ATTENDANTS. WE REMINDED A FEW PAX TO KEEP THEIR HEADS DOWN. ROUGH LNDG, BUT NO EVAC NECESSARY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT THEY DIVERTED TO CHARLESTON, WHERE THE ARPT DIDN'T HAVE THE FACILITIES TO HANDLE SUCH A BIG JET, SO THEY HAD TO SIT ON THE TXWY FOR 40 MINS. A PAX STARTED TO HAVE HEART PROBS, SO THEY HAD TO WAIT FOR PARAMEDICS TO COME TAKE HIM OFF BEFORE THEY WERE TOWED TO THE GATE. THE PLANE WAS TAKEN OTS AND THE FLT CANCELED. EVENTUALLY, ANOTHER PLANE WAS FERRIED IN FROM NEW YORK TO TAKE THE PAX HOME. THERE WAS A LOT OF VERY FRIGHTENED PAX, SOME WERE HYSTERICAL. THE RPTR ATTRIBUTES SOME OF THE PANIC TO THE LANGUAGE DIFFICULTIES. SHE, HERSELF, WAS SCARED. HER DESIGNATED HELPERS WERE EXCELLENT IN HELPING CALM THE PEOPLE.

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.