Narrative:

55 mins after departure, while beverages were being served, flight attendant #2, working l-hand aisle zone B, called by passenger to his seat due to loud noise and shattering of a portion of the cabin window just forward of the crew rest area (don't know row number). The flight engineer came back to check. Flight attendant #2 pulled out of the aisle. I did not know what had happened at this time. I finished my last few rows for beverages and pulled out of the aisle back to mid galley. I then found out what happened. The purser came back and said to treat it as an air leak. The passenger were moved to jump seats. Passenger forward of window moved to jump seats. The window was totally blocked off with passenger suitcases, seat cushions and blankets. The noise subsided. We elected not to do a meal service, in case of a possible decompression. Apparently, we slowed down and continued to lax, dumping fuel before landing. We landed at lax with no incident. The window was changed out by maintenance. The passenger deplaned during this, a pressurization check was done, new hot meals were added and we completed the trip to hnl. All flight attendants did their jobs perfectly. Passenger were very cooperative and patient. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that the window made a loud pop when it shattered and then the noise level became phenomenal. They moved passenger to the crew jump seats, not the crew rest seats because they were already filled, for the flight to lax and 2 of them landed in vacant jump seats. The pilots flew the plane at a lower altitude to lax, so the chance of decompression was less. The captain said they didn't have to go through the emergency checklist drill with the passenger, because the landing would be normal. The mechanics replaced the window in lax causing a delay of only 1 hour.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CABIN ATTENDANT RPT, DC10-30, DFW-HNL. PAX WINDOW SHATTERED MID-FLT. PAX MOVED TO EXTRA JUMP SEATS. DIVERT TO LAX. MAINT DELAY TO REPLACE WINDOW.

Narrative: 55 MINS AFTER DEP, WHILE BEVERAGES WERE BEING SERVED, FLT ATTENDANT #2, WORKING L-HAND AISLE ZONE B, CALLED BY PAX TO HIS SEAT DUE TO LOUD NOISE AND SHATTERING OF A PORTION OF THE CABIN WINDOW JUST FORWARD OF THE CREW REST AREA (DON'T KNOW ROW NUMBER). THE FE CAME BACK TO CHK. FLT ATTENDANT #2 PULLED OUT OF THE AISLE. I DID NOT KNOW WHAT HAD HAPPENED AT THIS TIME. I FINISHED MY LAST FEW ROWS FOR BEVERAGES AND PULLED OUT OF THE AISLE BACK TO MID GALLEY. I THEN FOUND OUT WHAT HAPPENED. THE PURSER CAME BACK AND SAID TO TREAT IT AS AN AIR LEAK. THE PAX WERE MOVED TO JUMP SEATS. PAX FORWARD OF WINDOW MOVED TO JUMP SEATS. THE WINDOW WAS TOTALLY BLOCKED OFF WITH PAX SUITCASES, SEAT CUSHIONS AND BLANKETS. THE NOISE SUBSIDED. WE ELECTED NOT TO DO A MEAL SVC, IN CASE OF A POSSIBLE DECOMPRESSION. APPARENTLY, WE SLOWED DOWN AND CONTINUED TO LAX, DUMPING FUEL BEFORE LNDG. WE LANDED AT LAX WITH NO INCIDENT. THE WINDOW WAS CHANGED OUT BY MAINT. THE PAX DEPLANED DURING THIS, A PRESSURIZATION CHK WAS DONE, NEW HOT MEALS WERE ADDED AND WE COMPLETED THE TRIP TO HNL. ALL FLT ATTENDANTS DID THEIR JOBS PERFECTLY. PAX WERE VERY COOPERATIVE AND PATIENT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT THE WINDOW MADE A LOUD POP WHEN IT SHATTERED AND THEN THE NOISE LEVEL BECAME PHENOMENAL. THEY MOVED PAX TO THE CREW JUMP SEATS, NOT THE CREW REST SEATS BECAUSE THEY WERE ALREADY FILLED, FOR THE FLT TO LAX AND 2 OF THEM LANDED IN VACANT JUMP SEATS. THE PLTS FLEW THE PLANE AT A LOWER ALT TO LAX, SO THE CHANCE OF DECOMPRESSION WAS LESS. THE CAPT SAID THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE EMER CHKLIST DRILL WITH THE PAX, BECAUSE THE LNDG WOULD BE NORMAL. THE MECHS REPLACED THE WINDOW IN LAX CAUSING A DELAY OF ONLY 1 HR.

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.