Narrative:

On a flight from tulsa, ok, to chicago ohare international airport during descent from cruise we ran into some moderate turbulence which lasted about 5 seconds. We continued and landed at chicago ohare airport. After we parked the airplane at the gate and after all the passenger deplaned, our flight attendant informed me, the captain, and my first officer, that he (the flight attendant) had fallen during the turbulence. The flight attendant said that when he fell he hit his leg and his head. The flight attendant told us that when he fell a passenger helped him up and helped seat him in one of the passenger seats. The flight attendant informed us that after he hit his head his vision was a little blurry but that it soon returned to normal and that at the time we were all discussing the matter at the gate his vision was fine. I asked the flight attendant about 3 times if he needed medical attention or if he needed an ambulance. The flight attendant said no. I also told the flight attendant about 10 times that I could call crew scheduling and get a replacement flight attendant and that it would be no problem at all to do so. The flight attendant said no. I asked the flight attendant if he had become unconscious at all after falling. The flight attendant told me no. After this trip we had about 1 hour break, and about 10 mins after arriving at the gate we, myself, the first officer and the flight attendant, went to get breakfast. As we were walking through the terminal I was observing the flight attendant. I'm no doctor but to me he seemed fine. He was walking and talking fine. I kept asking the flight attendant, in front of the first officer, if he was ok to continue the trip and continued to let him know that it was ok for him to remove himself from the trip so we could get a replacement. He assured me repeatedly that he was ok to continue to fly. I told the flight attendant to fill out an incident report and I filled out a captain's report. Since the flight attendant assured me he was ok we continued the trip as scheduled without further incident. The next day when I turned in the captain's report to the chief pilot, he informed me that my flight attendant wrote down in his report that he was unconscious after he fell. The flight attendant wrote that after falling down the next thing he remembered was waking up in a passenger seat with a passenger standing over him. I told the chief pilot that I was unaware of the flight attendant going unconscious and that if I had known the flight attendant was unconscious, I would have removed him from the flight and informed scheduling to find a replacement flight attendant. I do remember specifically asking the flight attendant if he was unconscious at all. The flight attendant told me no. In addition I think the first officer was with me when I asked that question. I find this situation a little disturbing, and the fact that the flight attendant told everyone that he was unconscious, but told me, the captain, that he was not unconscious, troubling.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A CL65 PIC RPT ON THE CONDITION OF HIS CABIN ATTENDANT AFTER SAME HAD FALLEN IN THE ACFT DURING AN ENCOUNTER WITH TURB ENRTE TO ORD, IL.

Narrative: ON A FLT FROM TULSA, OK, TO CHICAGO OHARE INTL ARPT DURING DSCNT FROM CRUISE WE RAN INTO SOME MODERATE TURB WHICH LASTED ABOUT 5 SECONDS. WE CONTINUED AND LANDED AT CHICAGO OHARE ARPT. AFTER WE PARKED THE AIRPLANE AT THE GATE AND AFTER ALL THE PAX DEPLANED, OUR FLT ATTENDANT INFORMED ME, THE CAPT, AND MY FO, THAT HE (THE FLT ATTENDANT) HAD FALLEN DURING THE TURB. THE FLT ATTENDANT SAID THAT WHEN HE FELL HE HIT HIS LEG AND HIS HEAD. THE FLT ATTENDANT TOLD US THAT WHEN HE FELL A PAX HELPED HIM UP AND HELPED SEAT HIM IN ONE OF THE PAX SEATS. THE FLT ATTENDANT INFORMED US THAT AFTER HE HIT HIS HEAD HIS VISION WAS A LITTLE BLURRY BUT THAT IT SOON RETURNED TO NORMAL AND THAT AT THE TIME WE WERE ALL DISCUSSING THE MATTER AT THE GATE HIS VISION WAS FINE. I ASKED THE FLT ATTENDANT ABOUT 3 TIMES IF HE NEEDED MEDICAL ATTN OR IF HE NEEDED AN AMBULANCE. THE FLT ATTENDANT SAID NO. I ALSO TOLD THE FLT ATTENDANT ABOUT 10 TIMES THAT I COULD CALL CREW SCHEDULING AND GET A REPLACEMENT FLT ATTENDANT AND THAT IT WOULD BE NO PROB AT ALL TO DO SO. THE FLT ATTENDANT SAID NO. I ASKED THE FLT ATTENDANT IF HE HAD BECOME UNCONSCIOUS AT ALL AFTER FALLING. THE FLT ATTENDANT TOLD ME NO. AFTER THIS TRIP WE HAD ABOUT 1 HR BREAK, AND ABOUT 10 MINS AFTER ARRIVING AT THE GATE WE, MYSELF, THE FO AND THE FLT ATTENDANT, WENT TO GET BREAKFAST. AS WE WERE WALKING THROUGH THE TERMINAL I WAS OBSERVING THE FLT ATTENDANT. I'M NO DOCTOR BUT TO ME HE SEEMED FINE. HE WAS WALKING AND TALKING FINE. I KEPT ASKING THE FLT ATTENDANT, IN FRONT OF THE FO, IF HE WAS OK TO CONTINUE THE TRIP AND CONTINUED TO LET HIM KNOW THAT IT WAS OK FOR HIM TO REMOVE HIMSELF FROM THE TRIP SO WE COULD GET A REPLACEMENT. HE ASSURED ME REPEATEDLY THAT HE WAS OK TO CONTINUE TO FLY. I TOLD THE FLT ATTENDANT TO FILL OUT AN INCIDENT RPT AND I FILLED OUT A CAPT'S RPT. SINCE THE FLT ATTENDANT ASSURED ME HE WAS OK WE CONTINUED THE TRIP AS SCHEDULED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. THE NEXT DAY WHEN I TURNED IN THE CAPT'S RPT TO THE CHIEF PLT, HE INFORMED ME THAT MY FLT ATTENDANT WROTE DOWN IN HIS RPT THAT HE WAS UNCONSCIOUS AFTER HE FELL. THE FLT ATTENDANT WROTE THAT AFTER FALLING DOWN THE NEXT THING HE REMEMBERED WAS WAKING UP IN A PAX SEAT WITH A PAX STANDING OVER HIM. I TOLD THE CHIEF PLT THAT I WAS UNAWARE OF THE FLT ATTENDANT GOING UNCONSCIOUS AND THAT IF I HAD KNOWN THE FLT ATTENDANT WAS UNCONSCIOUS, I WOULD HAVE REMOVED HIM FROM THE FLT AND INFORMED SCHEDULING TO FIND A REPLACEMENT FLT ATTENDANT. I DO REMEMBER SPECIFICALLY ASKING THE FLT ATTENDANT IF HE WAS UNCONSCIOUS AT ALL. THE FLT ATTENDANT TOLD ME NO. IN ADDITION I THINK THE FO WAS WITH ME WHEN I ASKED THAT QUESTION. I FIND THIS SIT A LITTLE DISTURBING, AND THE FACT THAT THE FLT ATTENDANT TOLD EVERYONE THAT HE WAS UNCONSCIOUS, BUT TOLD ME, THE CAPT, THAT HE WAS NOT UNCONSCIOUS, TROUBLING.

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.