Narrative:

We had a navigation problem and the pilots were testing the system. Flight attendant #1 and the captain made PA's to turn off all cell phones and this passenger disregarded this and made a call. The passenger behind him rang his call button and pointed it out to me. He hung up when he saw me. Since the cell phone could have messed up the navigation testing, it was a potential dangerous situation. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that they were just starting to taxi away from the gate when the pilots started having navigation problems, so they pulled off the taxiway to review the system and checklist. The captain and the purser requested 3 different times for passenger to turn off their cell phones. When notified of the man's continuing use of his cell phone, the purser talked to him and eventually scared him. At first he was snotty to her and then he realized the seriousness of the problem, so he became embarrassed and compliant. The problem with the navigation did clear up, but the reporter is not certain whether the man's cell phone had anything to do with it.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CABIN ATTENDANT RPT, B767-200, JFK-SFO, NAV PROB, PULLED OFF TXWY. PAX ASKED TO TURN OFF CELL PHONES, MAN WOULDN'T COMPLY. PURSER WARNED HIM.

Narrative: WE HAD A NAV PROB AND THE PLTS WERE TESTING THE SYS. FLT ATTENDANT #1 AND THE CAPT MADE PA'S TO TURN OFF ALL CELL PHONES AND THIS PAX DISREGARDED THIS AND MADE A CALL. THE PAX BEHIND HIM RANG HIS CALL BUTTON AND POINTED IT OUT TO ME. HE HUNG UP WHEN HE SAW ME. SINCE THE CELL PHONE COULD HAVE MESSED UP THE NAV TESTING, IT WAS A POTENTIAL DANGEROUS SIT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT THEY WERE JUST STARTING TO TAXI AWAY FROM THE GATE WHEN THE PLTS STARTED HAVING NAV PROBS, SO THEY PULLED OFF THE TXWY TO REVIEW THE SYS AND CHKLIST. THE CAPT AND THE PURSER REQUESTED 3 DIFFERENT TIMES FOR PAX TO TURN OFF THEIR CELL PHONES. WHEN NOTIFIED OF THE MAN'S CONTINUING USE OF HIS CELL PHONE, THE PURSER TALKED TO HIM AND EVENTUALLY SCARED HIM. AT FIRST HE WAS SNOTTY TO HER AND THEN HE REALIZED THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE PROB, SO HE BECAME EMBARRASSED AND COMPLIANT. THE PROB WITH THE NAV DID CLR UP, BUT THE RPTR IS NOT CERTAIN WHETHER THE MAN'S CELL PHONE HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT.

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.