Narrative:

I received a call from one of the flight attendants to inform me they had a medical situation with a female passenger. I was told the passenger was having a seizure. No other information was available at that time. They were asking for medical assistance and would keep me informed. I immediately sent an ACARS message to dispatch to inform them we had a possible emergency medical situation developing and may have to divert. Approximately 1 min later the flight attendant called me that a doctor had responded to the call for help and he was requesting the eemk. I told her to go ahead and give it to him and that if needed we were only 80 mi from boise where additional medical help would be available. Very shortly thereafter she called back and said the doctor asked her how soon we could be on the ground and she told him that I had just said we were only 80 mi from boise. He told her we should land immediately as the passenger was drifting in and out of consciousness. I then directed the first officer to obtain a clearance to boi which we received immediately. I advised dispatch we were diverting immediately to boi. During the descent I made a decision to continue flying in excess of 250 KTS below 10000 ft as we had a lot of altitude to lose and needed to fly a right downwind for runway 10R at boi. After I lost the altitude I slowed while abeam the airport on downwind and flaps and gear were extended in a normal fashion. We were cleared for a visual approach to runway 10R. A normal and stabilized base and final approach was conducted to runway 10R with a normal landing using medium autobrakes. In an effort to turn off at a midfield taxiway I aggressively applied brakes and after stopping we taxied to the gate. Touchdown to block in was 3 mins and total elapsed time after the first call from the flight attendants was approximately 20 mins. After blocking in at the gate the paramedics came on board and checked our passenger. They could not find a pulse or blood pressure, but the passenger was conscious. She told them she was a marathon runner. A few mins later the passenger told the emt's that she was feeling better and she wanted to continue on to pdx. I was told the passenger wanted to continue on and the dispatcher immediately put me in touch with the doctor on call. The doctor told me there are many things that could cause a seizure such as this, but that a fully functioning hospital emergency room would be better able to evaluate the passenger versus paramedics with limited equipment. He agreed that I would be fully within my rights as PIC to refuse continued transport of this passenger without a thorough and complete medical examination. When I got to the back galley, the passenger apparently had slipped back into unconsciousness and the emt's were readying her for transport off the airplane on an aisle chair. When I last saw her she was ashen white with her eyes closed. While at the gate the brakes continued to heat up as a result of the aggressive braking done after landing. All 4 brake temperatures exceeded 700 degrees with the highest brake temperature 765 degrees. The #4 tire fuse plug eventually blew and the tire went flat. It should be noted the landing weight was approximately 139500 pounds, which is well under the maximum allowable landing weight. The hot brakes were solely a result of my aggressive braking after landing. The tires were changed and we were re-dispatched to pdx. Total ground time in boi was 3 hours 59 mins. I take full responsibility for heating the brakes up in my effort to minimize the ground run and expedite our taxi to the gate.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT CREW OF A320, ADVISED OF ILL PAX ON BOARD, DECLARED A MEDICAL EMER AND DIVERTED TO BOI. AGGRESSIVE MANEUVERING IN THE AIR AND ON THE GND RESULTED IN OVERHEATED BRAKES AND MELTED FUSE PLUGS.

Narrative: I RECEIVED A CALL FROM ONE OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS TO INFORM ME THEY HAD A MEDICAL SIT WITH A FEMALE PAX. I WAS TOLD THE PAX WAS HAVING A SEIZURE. NO OTHER INFO WAS AVAILABLE AT THAT TIME. THEY WERE ASKING FOR MEDICAL ASSISTANCE AND WOULD KEEP ME INFORMED. I IMMEDIATELY SENT AN ACARS MESSAGE TO DISPATCH TO INFORM THEM WE HAD A POSSIBLE EMER MEDICAL SIT DEVELOPING AND MAY HAVE TO DIVERT. APPROX 1 MIN LATER THE FLT ATTENDANT CALLED ME THAT A DOCTOR HAD RESPONDED TO THE CALL FOR HELP AND HE WAS REQUESTING THE EEMK. I TOLD HER TO GO AHEAD AND GIVE IT TO HIM AND THAT IF NEEDED WE WERE ONLY 80 MI FROM BOISE WHERE ADDITIONAL MEDICAL HELP WOULD BE AVAILABLE. VERY SHORTLY THEREAFTER SHE CALLED BACK AND SAID THE DOCTOR ASKED HER HOW SOON WE COULD BE ON THE GND AND SHE TOLD HIM THAT I HAD JUST SAID WE WERE ONLY 80 MI FROM BOISE. HE TOLD HER WE SHOULD LAND IMMEDIATELY AS THE PAX WAS DRIFTING IN AND OUT OF CONSCIOUSNESS. I THEN DIRECTED THE FO TO OBTAIN A CLRNC TO BOI WHICH WE RECEIVED IMMEDIATELY. I ADVISED DISPATCH WE WERE DIVERTING IMMEDIATELY TO BOI. DURING THE DSCNT I MADE A DECISION TO CONTINUE FLYING IN EXCESS OF 250 KTS BELOW 10000 FT AS WE HAD A LOT OF ALT TO LOSE AND NEEDED TO FLY A R DOWNWIND FOR RWY 10R AT BOI. AFTER I LOST THE ALT I SLOWED WHILE ABEAM THE ARPT ON DOWNWIND AND FLAPS AND GEAR WERE EXTENDED IN A NORMAL FASHION. WE WERE CLRED FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 10R. A NORMAL AND STABILIZED BASE AND FINAL APCH WAS CONDUCTED TO RWY 10R WITH A NORMAL LNDG USING MEDIUM AUTOBRAKES. IN AN EFFORT TO TURN OFF AT A MIDFIELD TXWY I AGGRESSIVELY APPLIED BRAKES AND AFTER STOPPING WE TAXIED TO THE GATE. TOUCHDOWN TO BLOCK IN WAS 3 MINS AND TOTAL ELAPSED TIME AFTER THE FIRST CALL FROM THE FLT ATTENDANTS WAS APPROX 20 MINS. AFTER BLOCKING IN AT THE GATE THE PARAMEDICS CAME ON BOARD AND CHKED OUR PAX. THEY COULD NOT FIND A PULSE OR BLOOD PRESSURE, BUT THE PAX WAS CONSCIOUS. SHE TOLD THEM SHE WAS A MARATHON RUNNER. A FEW MINS LATER THE PAX TOLD THE EMT'S THAT SHE WAS FEELING BETTER AND SHE WANTED TO CONTINUE ON TO PDX. I WAS TOLD THE PAX WANTED TO CONTINUE ON AND THE DISPATCHER IMMEDIATELY PUT ME IN TOUCH WITH THE DOCTOR ON CALL. THE DOCTOR TOLD ME THERE ARE MANY THINGS THAT COULD CAUSE A SEIZURE SUCH AS THIS, BUT THAT A FULLY FUNCTIONING HOSPITAL EMER ROOM WOULD BE BETTER ABLE TO EVALUATE THE PAX VERSUS PARAMEDICS WITH LIMITED EQUIP. HE AGREED THAT I WOULD BE FULLY WITHIN MY RIGHTS AS PIC TO REFUSE CONTINUED TRANSPORT OF THIS PAX WITHOUT A THOROUGH AND COMPLETE MEDICAL EXAM. WHEN I GOT TO THE BACK GALLEY, THE PAX APPARENTLY HAD SLIPPED BACK INTO UNCONSCIOUSNESS AND THE EMT'S WERE READYING HER FOR TRANSPORT OFF THE AIRPLANE ON AN AISLE CHAIR. WHEN I LAST SAW HER SHE WAS ASHEN WHITE WITH HER EYES CLOSED. WHILE AT THE GATE THE BRAKES CONTINUED TO HEAT UP AS A RESULT OF THE AGGRESSIVE BRAKING DONE AFTER LNDG. ALL 4 BRAKE TEMPS EXCEEDED 700 DEGS WITH THE HIGHEST BRAKE TEMP 765 DEGS. THE #4 TIRE FUSE PLUG EVENTUALLY BLEW AND THE TIRE WENT FLAT. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THE LNDG WT WAS APPROX 139500 LBS, WHICH IS WELL UNDER THE MAX ALLOWABLE LNDG WT. THE HOT BRAKES WERE SOLELY A RESULT OF MY AGGRESSIVE BRAKING AFTER LNDG. THE TIRES WERE CHANGED AND WE WERE RE-DISPATCHED TO PDX. TOTAL GND TIME IN BOI WAS 3 HRS 59 MINS. I TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR HEATING THE BRAKES UP IN MY EFFORT TO MINIMIZE THE GND RUN AND EXPEDITE OUR TAXI TO THE GATE.

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.