Narrative:

About 2 1/2 hours into flight, the #2 flight attendant rang the cockpit. He said there was a passenger that wanted to talk to the captain. The flight attendant told him he would pass it on. He relayed this information: 'passenger had a mental medical condition of extreme paranoia and medical paperwork to prove it. He was hearing voices in his head telling him to kill himself. The aircraft would not make it to destination and the voices were getting progressively worse the further we went.' we pulled out the checklist and initiated lock-down procedures. The captain told the flight attendant to go back to the passenger and keep captain updated on his condition. Captain also told him to find 2 men in the back, explain that they might be needed and get the wrist bands ready in case there was trouble. The captain and I went through the checklist and decided at this point there was not a threat to the aircraft, but there was to the passenger and flight attendants. The captain tried to contact dispatch on 2 different remote sites, however, no contact on either of these sites. The captain called back to the flight attendant. The flight attendant said the passenger was getting worse and we needed to land. The captain told him we were diverting to ZZZ and would be on the ground in 10 mins. ZZZ was about 60 mi. Nearest company city was 500 mi away. We declared an emergency and asked center to contact our dispatch and let them know. We were very busy on descent. The captain called the flight attendant one last time and he said the passenger was no worse, since we had told the passenger (PA announcement) we were landing. We landed and were met on taxiway by security and fire personnel and airstairs. Security would not board aircraft until city police department showed up about 5 mins later. Cockpit stayed in lock-down until the passenger was removed. A government agency was alerted and decided to hold our flight until they could interview all of the passenger. We taxied to the terminal and unloaded all passenger and carry-ONS. Flight attendants and passenger were interviewed. The crew swept the cabin for anything unusual. It was ascertained that the removed passenger had no checked bags. After preflight, we reloaded the aircraft and continued to destination. ATC was very helpful. Overall coordination between crew and cabin was very good. Need a better checklist for divert (ie, the divert package). The checklist on back of stamped envelope called for 56 different documents, when in fact there were only 2 to be mailed: 1) loading schedule, and 2) signed dispatch release. I had to call dispatch and ask what to do about the name list. They were confused why it was in the package because we now had a list of all passenger. They said it was not applicable. The checklist also called for 1) signed dispatch release, 2) flight release, 3) airworthiness acknowledgement. Those are all on the same document. There is already a lot of confusion going on in the coordination of everything else to have to worry about an out-of-date and confusing divert package.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC DECLARES EMER, DIVERTS.

Narrative: ABOUT 2 1/2 HRS INTO FLT, THE #2 FLT ATTENDANT RANG THE COCKPIT. HE SAID THERE WAS A PAX THAT WANTED TO TALK TO THE CAPT. THE FLT ATTENDANT TOLD HIM HE WOULD PASS IT ON. HE RELAYED THIS INFO: 'PAX HAD A MENTAL MEDICAL CONDITION OF EXTREME PARANOIA AND MEDICAL PAPERWORK TO PROVE IT. HE WAS HEARING VOICES IN HIS HEAD TELLING HIM TO KILL HIMSELF. THE ACFT WOULD NOT MAKE IT TO DEST AND THE VOICES WERE GETTING PROGRESSIVELY WORSE THE FURTHER WE WENT.' WE PULLED OUT THE CHKLIST AND INITIATED LOCK-DOWN PROCS. THE CAPT TOLD THE FLT ATTENDANT TO GO BACK TO THE PAX AND KEEP CAPT UPDATED ON HIS CONDITION. CAPT ALSO TOLD HIM TO FIND 2 MEN IN THE BACK, EXPLAIN THAT THEY MIGHT BE NEEDED AND GET THE WRIST BANDS READY IN CASE THERE WAS TROUBLE. THE CAPT AND I WENT THROUGH THE CHKLIST AND DECIDED AT THIS POINT THERE WAS NOT A THREAT TO THE ACFT, BUT THERE WAS TO THE PAX AND FLT ATTENDANTS. THE CAPT TRIED TO CONTACT DISPATCH ON 2 DIFFERENT REMOTE SITES, HOWEVER, NO CONTACT ON EITHER OF THESE SITES. THE CAPT CALLED BACK TO THE FLT ATTENDANT. THE FLT ATTENDANT SAID THE PAX WAS GETTING WORSE AND WE NEEDED TO LAND. THE CAPT TOLD HIM WE WERE DIVERTING TO ZZZ AND WOULD BE ON THE GND IN 10 MINS. ZZZ WAS ABOUT 60 MI. NEAREST COMPANY CITY WAS 500 MI AWAY. WE DECLARED AN EMER AND ASKED CTR TO CONTACT OUR DISPATCH AND LET THEM KNOW. WE WERE VERY BUSY ON DSCNT. THE CAPT CALLED THE FLT ATTENDANT ONE LAST TIME AND HE SAID THE PAX WAS NO WORSE, SINCE WE HAD TOLD THE PAX (PA ANNOUNCEMENT) WE WERE LNDG. WE LANDED AND WERE MET ON TXWY BY SECURITY AND FIRE PERSONNEL AND AIRSTAIRS. SECURITY WOULD NOT BOARD ACFT UNTIL CITY POLICE DEPT SHOWED UP ABOUT 5 MINS LATER. COCKPIT STAYED IN LOCK-DOWN UNTIL THE PAX WAS REMOVED. A GOV AGENCY WAS ALERTED AND DECIDED TO HOLD OUR FLT UNTIL THEY COULD INTERVIEW ALL OF THE PAX. WE TAXIED TO THE TERMINAL AND UNLOADED ALL PAX AND CARRY-ONS. FLT ATTENDANTS AND PAX WERE INTERVIEWED. THE CREW SWEPT THE CABIN FOR ANYTHING UNUSUAL. IT WAS ASCERTAINED THAT THE REMOVED PAX HAD NO CHKED BAGS. AFTER PREFLT, WE RELOADED THE ACFT AND CONTINUED TO DEST. ATC WAS VERY HELPFUL. OVERALL COORD BTWN CREW AND CABIN WAS VERY GOOD. NEED A BETTER CHKLIST FOR DIVERT (IE, THE DIVERT PACKAGE). THE CHKLIST ON BACK OF STAMPED ENVELOPE CALLED FOR 56 DIFFERENT DOCUMENTS, WHEN IN FACT THERE WERE ONLY 2 TO BE MAILED: 1) LOADING SCHEDULE, AND 2) SIGNED DISPATCH RELEASE. I HAD TO CALL DISPATCH AND ASK WHAT TO DO ABOUT THE NAME LIST. THEY WERE CONFUSED WHY IT WAS IN THE PACKAGE BECAUSE WE NOW HAD A LIST OF ALL PAX. THEY SAID IT WAS NOT APPLICABLE. THE CHKLIST ALSO CALLED FOR 1) SIGNED DISPATCH RELEASE, 2) FLT RELEASE, 3) AIRWORTHINESS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. THOSE ARE ALL ON THE SAME DOCUMENT. THERE IS ALREADY A LOT OF CONFUSION GOING ON IN THE COORD OF EVERYTHING ELSE TO HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT AN OUT-OF-DATE AND CONFUSING DIVERT PACKAGE.

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.