Narrative:

We left ccs and I was advised that 3 passenger did not show, so we had 3 empty seats. Mid flight, flight attendant #5 came to me during the service and said an oxygen panel came down over seat xdef. I stopped my service and went to see. Flight attendant #2 was holding it up. No mask dropped! The panel popped out on the aisle side and was hanging. I popped it into place and tried to pull it down with my finger nails and it remained in place. I turned and went to the cockpit. The captain was on the radio and the first officer would not let me speak to him. I advised the first officer and took him into the cabin and showed him what happened. He returned to the cockpit and the captain was still on the radio. I returned to my meal service. The #3 flight attendant working up front took a call on the intercom and said to me, 'we are going to sdq.' I thought we had been reassigned upon reaching mia, and asked 'are we staying overnight?' he said 'no, we are landing in 20 mins.' I headed for the cockpit. The captain still on the radios. The first officer would not let me speak to him. I questioned the first officer and he asked 'did passenger see it?' I said 'yes, but nothing actually fell.' he said 'then we are going to land.' we landed without incident. The mechanics boarded and laughed at us. The captain never conferred with the purser. I never thought the situation grave enough to land. We had 3 empty seats. I told the flight attendant #2 to reseat passenger if the panel came down again. While on the ground in sdq, the captain said 'I was told we were full' and this was true before 3 passenger didn't show, and he was told this by the agent. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that his airline doesn't require the flight attendants to give the captain the final passenger count -- they rely on the agent's final count. He said that he had heard that before he started flying several yrs ago, the flight attendants were required to give the captain a passenger count and 'lappers' (children on laps, not ticketed), but now they don't. At no time did the captain know that they had the 3 empty seats. The reporter, himself, was incredulous and couldn't believe that they were diverting over the compartment panel coming off, and the fact that they had 3 empty seats to move people to in case of an emergency. He questioned the first officer about it, and he replied that if the passenger saw the panel fall off, then they had to divert to fix it. The mechanics in santo domingo didn't even bother to tape up the compartment. The reporter feels that if, perhaps, he'd been able to talk to the captain directly, that they wouldn't have had to divert.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CABIN ATTENDANT RPT, B757, CCS-MIA. UNNECESSARY DIVERT TO SDQ. 1 PAX ROW'S OXYGEN PANEL FELL DOWN, MISCOM BTWN CAPT AND PURSER, NO MAINT IN SDQ.

Narrative: WE LEFT CCS AND I WAS ADVISED THAT 3 PAX DID NOT SHOW, SO WE HAD 3 EMPTY SEATS. MID FLT, FLT ATTENDANT #5 CAME TO ME DURING THE SVC AND SAID AN OXYGEN PANEL CAME DOWN OVER SEAT XDEF. I STOPPED MY SVC AND WENT TO SEE. FLT ATTENDANT #2 WAS HOLDING IT UP. NO MASK DROPPED! THE PANEL POPPED OUT ON THE AISLE SIDE AND WAS HANGING. I POPPED IT INTO PLACE AND TRIED TO PULL IT DOWN WITH MY FINGER NAILS AND IT REMAINED IN PLACE. I TURNED AND WENT TO THE COCKPIT. THE CAPT WAS ON THE RADIO AND THE FO WOULD NOT LET ME SPEAK TO HIM. I ADVISED THE FO AND TOOK HIM INTO THE CABIN AND SHOWED HIM WHAT HAPPENED. HE RETURNED TO THE COCKPIT AND THE CAPT WAS STILL ON THE RADIO. I RETURNED TO MY MEAL SVC. THE #3 FLT ATTENDANT WORKING UP FRONT TOOK A CALL ON THE INTERCOM AND SAID TO ME, 'WE ARE GOING TO SDQ.' I THOUGHT WE HAD BEEN REASSIGNED UPON REACHING MIA, AND ASKED 'ARE WE STAYING OVERNIGHT?' HE SAID 'NO, WE ARE LNDG IN 20 MINS.' I HEADED FOR THE COCKPIT. THE CAPT STILL ON THE RADIOS. THE FO WOULD NOT LET ME SPEAK TO HIM. I QUESTIONED THE FO AND HE ASKED 'DID PAX SEE IT?' I SAID 'YES, BUT NOTHING ACTUALLY FELL.' HE SAID 'THEN WE ARE GOING TO LAND.' WE LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE MECHS BOARDED AND LAUGHED AT US. THE CAPT NEVER CONFERRED WITH THE PURSER. I NEVER THOUGHT THE SIT GRAVE ENOUGH TO LAND. WE HAD 3 EMPTY SEATS. I TOLD THE FLT ATTENDANT #2 TO RESEAT PAX IF THE PANEL CAME DOWN AGAIN. WHILE ON THE GND IN SDQ, THE CAPT SAID 'I WAS TOLD WE WERE FULL' AND THIS WAS TRUE BEFORE 3 PAX DIDN'T SHOW, AND HE WAS TOLD THIS BY THE AGENT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT HIS AIRLINE DOESN'T REQUIRE THE FLT ATTENDANTS TO GIVE THE CAPT THE FINAL PAX COUNT -- THEY RELY ON THE AGENT'S FINAL COUNT. HE SAID THAT HE HAD HEARD THAT BEFORE HE STARTED FLYING SEVERAL YRS AGO, THE FLT ATTENDANTS WERE REQUIRED TO GIVE THE CAPT A PAX COUNT AND 'LAPPERS' (CHILDREN ON LAPS, NOT TICKETED), BUT NOW THEY DON'T. AT NO TIME DID THE CAPT KNOW THAT THEY HAD THE 3 EMPTY SEATS. THE RPTR, HIMSELF, WAS INCREDULOUS AND COULDN'T BELIEVE THAT THEY WERE DIVERTING OVER THE COMPARTMENT PANEL COMING OFF, AND THE FACT THAT THEY HAD 3 EMPTY SEATS TO MOVE PEOPLE TO IN CASE OF AN EMER. HE QUESTIONED THE FO ABOUT IT, AND HE REPLIED THAT IF THE PAX SAW THE PANEL FALL OFF, THEN THEY HAD TO DIVERT TO FIX IT. THE MECHS IN SANTO DOMINGO DIDN'T EVEN BOTHER TO TAPE UP THE COMPARTMENT. THE RPTR FEELS THAT IF, PERHAPS, HE'D BEEN ABLE TO TALK TO THE CAPT DIRECTLY, THAT THEY WOULDN'T HAVE HAD TO DIVERT.

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.