Narrative:

At FL369; mach .76; while eating crew meal; got a right bleed light and felt a little 'pop' in ears. Accomplished checklist and bleed reset and continued. Short time later; right bleed light came on again and captain and I both noticed cabin altitude climbing at 1500 FPM. Put down crew meal; put on mask and talked; clicked off autoplt and autothrottles. Captain tried to call ATC for descent but frequency was saturated with another aircraft coordinating a clearance. Selected transponder to 'below' and started a descent as captain stepped on other aircraft coordinating clearance to tell ATC we needed an emergency descent. Captain began qrc but was interrupted by ATC who tried to level us at FL310 and again at FL280. I turned aircraft off course to increase separation on other aircraft in the vicinity. Captain took aircraft to fly and talk to ATC and I completed applicable qrc's. We descended with masks on to below 10000 ft. Coordination with flight attendants during descent. Masks in the back did not drop; so we assume cabin altitude did not exceed 14000 ft. Attempted to contact dispatch using call me bout could not talk to them on the frequency assigned due to lo altitude. Attempted another frequency and when unsuccessful; I sent brief text messages back and forth to dispatch and maintenance as time permitted. Flight attendants verified that they and passenger were 'fine' so we continued to ord at 8000 ft and landed uneventfully. En route at 8000 ft; maintenance directed we complete bleed light checklists again. Bleed light reset and did not come back on. Cabin pressurization stabilized at 2000 ft while at 8000 ft cruise altitude en route to ord. Problems: ATC frequency was 'saturated' with other xmissions; detracted from our ability to get an ATC clearance before we felt it was necessary to take action on emergency authority/authorized. Once the decision was made to get down quickly; we spent most of our cockpit time clearing our flight path both visually and electronically from other aircraft and thunderstorms. There was little time to note instrument readings or other inside-the-cockpit details. This was not an 'explosive decompression;' but the initial rate of cockpit climb indicated tome that we had little time to waste initiating an aggressive descent.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A JET TRANSPORT EXPERIENCED LOSS OF CABIN PRESSURE IN CRUISE FLT. THEY DECLARED AN EMER; EXECUTED AN EMER DSCNT; AND LANDED AT NEAREST SUITABLE ARPT.

Narrative: AT FL369; MACH .76; WHILE EATING CREW MEAL; GOT A R BLEED LIGHT AND FELT A LITTLE 'POP' IN EARS. ACCOMPLISHED CHKLIST AND BLEED RESET AND CONTINUED. SHORT TIME LATER; R BLEED LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN AND CAPT AND I BOTH NOTICED CABIN ALT CLBING AT 1500 FPM. PUT DOWN CREW MEAL; PUT ON MASK AND TALKED; CLICKED OFF AUTOPLT AND AUTOTHROTTLES. CAPT TRIED TO CALL ATC FOR DSCNT BUT FREQ WAS SATURATED WITH ANOTHER ACFT COORDINATING A CLRNC. SELECTED XPONDER TO 'BELOW' AND STARTED A DSCNT AS CAPT STEPPED ON OTHER ACFT COORDINATING CLRNC TO TELL ATC WE NEEDED AN EMER DSCNT. CAPT BEGAN QRC BUT WAS INTERRUPTED BY ATC WHO TRIED TO LEVEL US AT FL310 AND AGAIN AT FL280. I TURNED ACFT OFF COURSE TO INCREASE SEPARATION ON OTHER ACFT IN THE VICINITY. CAPT TOOK ACFT TO FLY AND TALK TO ATC AND I COMPLETED APPLICABLE QRC'S. WE DSNDED WITH MASKS ON TO BELOW 10000 FT. COORD WITH FLT ATTENDANTS DURING DSCNT. MASKS IN THE BACK DID NOT DROP; SO WE ASSUME CABIN ALT DID NOT EXCEED 14000 FT. ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT DISPATCH USING CALL ME BOUT COULD NOT TALK TO THEM ON THE FREQ ASSIGNED DUE TO LO ALT. ATTEMPTED ANOTHER FREQ AND WHEN UNSUCCESSFUL; I SENT BRIEF TEXT MESSAGES BACK AND FORTH TO DISPATCH AND MAINT AS TIME PERMITTED. FLT ATTENDANTS VERIFIED THAT THEY AND PAX WERE 'FINE' SO WE CONTINUED TO ORD AT 8000 FT AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. ENRTE AT 8000 FT; MAINT DIRECTED WE COMPLETE BLEED LIGHT CHKLISTS AGAIN. BLEED LIGHT RESET AND DID NOT COME BACK ON. CABIN PRESSURIZATION STABILIZED AT 2000 FT WHILE AT 8000 FT CRUISE ALT ENRTE TO ORD. PROBS: ATC FREQ WAS 'SATURATED' WITH OTHER XMISSIONS; DETRACTED FROM OUR ABILITY TO GET AN ATC CLRNC BEFORE WE FELT IT WAS NECESSARY TO TAKE ACTION ON EMER AUTH. ONCE THE DECISION WAS MADE TO GET DOWN QUICKLY; WE SPENT MOST OF OUR COCKPIT TIME CLRING OUR FLT PATH BOTH VISUALLY AND ELECTRONICALLY FROM OTHER ACFT AND TSTMS. THERE WAS LITTLE TIME TO NOTE INST READINGS OR OTHER INSIDE-THE-COCKPIT DETAILS. THIS WAS NOT AN 'EXPLOSIVE DECOMPRESSION;' BUT THE INITIAL RATE OF COCKPIT CLB INDICATED TOME THAT WE HAD LITTLE TIME TO WASTE INITIATING AN AGGRESSIVE DSCNT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.