Narrative:

The deplorable mechanical condition of our B747 fleet led to a situation that started as inconvenient and uncomfortable and quickly deteriorated to endangering the health and safety of at least 1 of our passenger. I arrived at ord operations to flight plan flight X. The deferred item list showed 1 air conditioning pack inoperative and also the flight attendant crew rest area as being unusable. In retrospect and in light of the events and circumstances that followed; I should have refused this aircraft. Getting proper crew rest for both pilots and flight attendants is germane to a safe operation. This is not something that should be deferred on an extended polar flight. What turned out to be of more significance was the inoperative air condition pack. My concerns about a 2 pack operation on a polar route were discounted by dispatch and suggestion for a north pacific route with closer en route alternates was similarly ignored. That issue notwithstanding; what really created a problem was that the outside air temperature at ord was 96 degrees F. The airplane had been on the gate for an unknown period of time with no external air and a degraded pack system. When I arrived at the aircraft the cabin temperature was 99 degrees F in all lower zones and 108 degrees F in the cockpit and upper deck cabin. Customer service wanted to board a full passenger load in this condition; and I called zone to prevent passenger boarding. Maintenance worked to cool the cabin with a combination of ground conditioned air and opening aircraft doors. After about 1 hour the temperature had dropped only about 5 degrees in the cabin and was still 108 degrees in the cockpit. Consensus amongst the pilots was that the only thing that would cool the airplane down was to get it boarded as quickly as possible and get airborne. Crew legality would also soon become an issue. A decision had to be made to either 'give this a shot' or cancel the flight. Letting the instinct to get the job done influence my decision; I opted to board and make a quick exit. Of course; boarding was slower than I had wanted and took way too long to get last min servicing of things that I was assured was already done (catering checked/replaced; ice; etc). We finally taxied out for a runway 14R departure with cabin temperatures well into the mid 90's just as thunderstorms crossed the field and stopped all departures. Some passenger had been on board for over 1 hour in these temperatures when I got a call from the cabin that a passenger was having a seizure. A doctor was summoned and said that the passenger needed to deplane and get medical help immediately. The doctor also stated that the seizure was triggered by the excessive heat. We returned to the gate and paramedics removed the passenger who was in and out of seizure as she deplaned on a stretcher. We deplaned the passenger; cooled the cabin some more; had to have the cabin cleaned and svced again; took on fuel and finally left approximately 4 hours late. This took the pilots to a 19.5 hour duty day after having been literally put through the wringer. Do I think safety was compromised? Yes; sitting in a 108 degree cockpit for hours prior to a flight takes a toll on one's body and makes an already long duty period feel even longer. In retrospect; I never should have accepted this airplane as it was. The mechanical condition of the entire 400 fleet is horrible and getting worse. I have heard varying explanations for this; but nothing seems to be getting done. This is flawed thinking as things rarely go right and one must visualize worst case scenario as this is much more likely to happen. In the future; I will be much more critical of the mechanical condition of the airplanes that I fly.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B747-400 IS DISPATCHED WITH ONE INOP AC PACK. OAT IS HIGH AND TEMP INSIDE THE CABIN IS ALSO HOT. AFTER THE ACFT DEPARTED GATE; AN EXTENSIVE GND DELAY AND A HOT CABIN RESULTED IN ONE PAX EXPERIENCING A SEIZURE.

Narrative: THE DEPLORABLE MECHANICAL CONDITION OF OUR B747 FLEET LED TO A SITUATION THAT STARTED AS INCONVENIENT AND UNCOMFORTABLE AND QUICKLY DETERIORATED TO ENDANGERING THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF AT LEAST 1 OF OUR PAX. I ARRIVED AT ORD OPS TO FLT PLAN FLT X. THE DEFERRED ITEM LIST SHOWED 1 AIR CONDITIONING PACK INOP AND ALSO THE FLT ATTENDANT CREW REST AREA AS BEING UNUSABLE. IN RETROSPECT AND IN LIGHT OF THE EVENTS AND CIRCUMSTANCES THAT FOLLOWED; I SHOULD HAVE REFUSED THIS ACFT. GETTING PROPER CREW REST FOR BOTH PLTS AND FLT ATTENDANTS IS GERMANE TO A SAFE OP. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE DEFERRED ON AN EXTENDED POLAR FLT. WHAT TURNED OUT TO BE OF MORE SIGNIFICANCE WAS THE INOP AIR CONDITION PACK. MY CONCERNS ABOUT A 2 PACK OP ON A POLAR RTE WERE DISCOUNTED BY DISPATCH AND SUGGESTION FOR A NORTH PACIFIC RTE WITH CLOSER ENRTE ALTERNATES WAS SIMILARLY IGNORED. THAT ISSUE NOTWITHSTANDING; WHAT REALLY CREATED A PROB WAS THAT THE OUTSIDE AIR TEMP AT ORD WAS 96 DEGS F. THE AIRPLANE HAD BEEN ON THE GATE FOR AN UNKNOWN PERIOD OF TIME WITH NO EXTERNAL AIR AND A DEGRADED PACK SYS. WHEN I ARRIVED AT THE ACFT THE CABIN TEMP WAS 99 DEGS F IN ALL LOWER ZONES AND 108 DEGS F IN THE COCKPIT AND UPPER DECK CABIN. CUSTOMER SVC WANTED TO BOARD A FULL PAX LOAD IN THIS CONDITION; AND I CALLED ZONE TO PREVENT PAX BOARDING. MAINT WORKED TO COOL THE CABIN WITH A COMBINATION OF GND CONDITIONED AIR AND OPENING ACFT DOORS. AFTER ABOUT 1 HR THE TEMP HAD DROPPED ONLY ABOUT 5 DEGS IN THE CABIN AND WAS STILL 108 DEGS IN THE COCKPIT. CONSENSUS AMONGST THE PLTS WAS THAT THE ONLY THING THAT WOULD COOL THE AIRPLANE DOWN WAS TO GET IT BOARDED AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE AND GET AIRBORNE. CREW LEGALITY WOULD ALSO SOON BECOME AN ISSUE. A DECISION HAD TO BE MADE TO EITHER 'GIVE THIS A SHOT' OR CANCEL THE FLT. LETTING THE INSTINCT TO GET THE JOB DONE INFLUENCE MY DECISION; I OPTED TO BOARD AND MAKE A QUICK EXIT. OF COURSE; BOARDING WAS SLOWER THAN I HAD WANTED AND TOOK WAY TOO LONG TO GET LAST MIN SVCING OF THINGS THAT I WAS ASSURED WAS ALREADY DONE (CATERING CHKED/REPLACED; ICE; ETC). WE FINALLY TAXIED OUT FOR A RWY 14R DEP WITH CABIN TEMPS WELL INTO THE MID 90'S JUST AS TSTMS CROSSED THE FIELD AND STOPPED ALL DEPS. SOME PAX HAD BEEN ON BOARD FOR OVER 1 HR IN THESE TEMPS WHEN I GOT A CALL FROM THE CABIN THAT A PAX WAS HAVING A SEIZURE. A DOCTOR WAS SUMMONED AND SAID THAT THE PAX NEEDED TO DEPLANE AND GET MEDICAL HELP IMMEDIATELY. THE DOCTOR ALSO STATED THAT THE SEIZURE WAS TRIGGERED BY THE EXCESSIVE HEAT. WE RETURNED TO THE GATE AND PARAMEDICS REMOVED THE PAX WHO WAS IN AND OUT OF SEIZURE AS SHE DEPLANED ON A STRETCHER. WE DEPLANED THE PAX; COOLED THE CABIN SOME MORE; HAD TO HAVE THE CABIN CLEANED AND SVCED AGAIN; TOOK ON FUEL AND FINALLY LEFT APPROX 4 HRS LATE. THIS TOOK THE PLTS TO A 19.5 HR DUTY DAY AFTER HAVING BEEN LITERALLY PUT THROUGH THE WRINGER. DO I THINK SAFETY WAS COMPROMISED? YES; SITTING IN A 108 DEG COCKPIT FOR HRS PRIOR TO A FLT TAKES A TOLL ON ONE'S BODY AND MAKES AN ALREADY LONG DUTY PERIOD FEEL EVEN LONGER. IN RETROSPECT; I NEVER SHOULD HAVE ACCEPTED THIS AIRPLANE AS IT WAS. THE MECHANICAL CONDITION OF THE ENTIRE 400 FLEET IS HORRIBLE AND GETTING WORSE. I HAVE HEARD VARYING EXPLANATIONS FOR THIS; BUT NOTHING SEEMS TO BE GETTING DONE. THIS IS FLAWED THINKING AS THINGS RARELY GO RIGHT AND ONE MUST VISUALIZE WORST CASE SCENARIO AS THIS IS MUCH MORE LIKELY TO HAPPEN. IN THE FUTURE; I WILL BE MUCH MORE CRITICAL OF THE MECHANICAL CONDITION OF THE AIRPLANES THAT I FLY.

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.