Narrative:

After the flight blocked out, the gate agent called me with a request. A female passenger, whom he could not identify, had boarded the aircraft and then asked to be removed. The agent's request was that the passenger had left an envelope in a seatback with dental x-rays in them and she would like to have them found. At the time I had received the call, the passenger had left the agent's view. At first, I told the agent I would not contact the flight until after it had departed. I called him back within a minute to say that this whole scenario did not situation right with me for security reasons and I wanted the envelope found prior to departure. I contacted atl tower and told them to have the flight contact dispatch either via phone or commercial radio, and to get out of line if they had to. Minutes later, I received an off report. I contacted atl tower again and asked them if they had passed along the message. They said they had passed the message and the flight told them they had checked in and were now ready to depart. I immediately sent an ACARS message to have the flight contact me as soon as possible. Next, I received a phone call from atl operations saying that the flight is on the radio with them and they were trying to find out what I wanted. The flight crew had contacted atl operations initially when the tower had passed along the message and atl operations told them about the missing envelope. By the time the flight crew had called back due my ACARS message, they had determined the envelope was not onboard. The flight crew sent me an ACARS message. Around that time, I spoke with the agent who told me the passenger had returned with her four kids. Apparently she was booked on the next flight, but was on standby. She was boarded on the aircraft, but did not approve of her seat so she asked for her original seat back on the next flight. The issue is that on initial call up, it appeared to me that with the information so vague, it would be prudent to investigate to rule out any possible security problems prior to departure. The captain failed to regard the message passed to them by atl tower to contact dispatch prior to departure thus removing me from operational control of that flight. The captain called after arriving in dfw and we discussed the event. He thought his contact with atl operations and their confirmation that the envelope was the issue in which I wanted to talk to him was sufficient. He was notified of this report.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR DISPATCHER IS CONCERNED ABOUT A POSSIBLE SECURITY THREAT AND SENDS A MESSAGE TO THE CAPT TO DISCUSS THE ISSUE. THE CAPT DEPARTS BEFORE CONTACTING DISPATCH.

Narrative: AFTER THE FLT BLOCKED OUT, THE GATE AGENT CALLED ME WITH A REQUEST. A FEMALE PAX, WHOM HE COULD NOT IDENTIFY, HAD BOARDED THE ACFT AND THEN ASKED TO BE REMOVED. THE AGENT'S REQUEST WAS THAT THE PAX HAD LEFT AN ENVELOPE IN A SEATBACK WITH DENTAL X-RAYS IN THEM AND SHE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THEM FOUND. AT THE TIME I HAD RECEIVED THE CALL, THE PAX HAD LEFT THE AGENT'S VIEW. AT FIRST, I TOLD THE AGENT I WOULD NOT CONTACT THE FLT UNTIL AFTER IT HAD DEPARTED. I CALLED HIM BACK WITHIN A MINUTE TO SAY THAT THIS WHOLE SCENARIO DID NOT SIT RIGHT WITH ME FOR SECURITY REASONS AND I WANTED THE ENVELOPE FOUND PRIOR TO DEP. I CONTACTED ATL TWR AND TOLD THEM TO HAVE THE FLT CONTACT DISPATCH EITHER VIA PHONE OR COMMERCIAL RADIO, AND TO GET OUT OF LINE IF THEY HAD TO. MINUTES LATER, I RECEIVED AN OFF RPT. I CONTACTED ATL TWR AGAIN AND ASKED THEM IF THEY HAD PASSED ALONG THE MESSAGE. THEY SAID THEY HAD PASSED THE MESSAGE AND THE FLT TOLD THEM THEY HAD CHECKED IN AND WERE NOW READY TO DEPART. I IMMEDIATELY SENT AN ACARS MESSAGE TO HAVE THE FLT CONTACT ME ASAP. NEXT, I RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM ATL OPS SAYING THAT THE FLT IS ON THE RADIO WITH THEM AND THEY WERE TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT I WANTED. THE FLT CREW HAD CONTACTED ATL OPS INITIALLY WHEN THE TWR HAD PASSED ALONG THE MESSAGE AND ATL OPS TOLD THEM ABOUT THE MISSING ENVELOPE. BY THE TIME THE FLT CREW HAD CALLED BACK DUE MY ACARS MESSAGE, THEY HAD DETERMINED THE ENVELOPE WAS NOT ONBOARD. THE FLT CREW SENT ME AN ACARS MESSAGE. AROUND THAT TIME, I SPOKE WITH THE AGENT WHO TOLD ME THE PAX HAD RETURNED WITH HER FOUR KIDS. APPARENTLY SHE WAS BOOKED ON THE NEXT FLT, BUT WAS ON STANDBY. SHE WAS BOARDED ON THE ACFT, BUT DID NOT APPROVE OF HER SEAT SO SHE ASKED FOR HER ORIGINAL SEAT BACK ON THE NEXT FLT. THE ISSUE IS THAT ON INITIAL CALL UP, IT APPEARED TO ME THAT WITH THE INFORMATION SO VAGUE, IT WOULD BE PRUDENT TO INVESTIGATE TO RULE OUT ANY POSSIBLE SECURITY PROBS PRIOR TO DEP. THE CAPT FAILED TO REGARD THE MESSAGE PASSED TO THEM BY ATL TWR TO CONTACT DISPATCH PRIOR TO DEP THUS REMOVING ME FROM OPERATIONAL CTL OF THAT FLT. THE CAPT CALLED AFTER ARRIVING IN DFW AND WE DISCUSSED THE EVENT. HE THOUGHT HIS CONTACT WITH ATL OPS AND THEIR CONFIRMATION THAT THE ENVELOPE WAS THE ISSUE IN WHICH I WANTED TO TALK TO HIM WAS SUFFICIENT. HE WAS NOTIFIED OF THIS RPT.

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.