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B737 flight crew receives a cabin altitude warning horn at FL350 and declares an emergency. An emergency descent is initiated and communication difficulties with ATC are reported due to the overhead speaker cutting out when the captain uses the PA system. Crew elected to divert to the nearest suitable airport but cabin altitude does not exceed 11;000 ft during the descent.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 951513 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201105 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201-1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.ARTCC |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | Mixed |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | B737-300 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | Cruise |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Pressurization Control System |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Pilot Flying Captain |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 205 Flight Crew Type 12000 |
| Person 2 | |
| Function | Pilot Not Flying First Officer |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 228 Flight Crew Type 15000 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical |
Narrative:
Cabin altitude warning horn sounded at FL350. Captain and first officer donned masks and established communication. Cabin altitude warning horn and emergency descent checklists were accomplished. Declared an emergency and began an emergency descent. First officer was coordinating with ATC while captain was coordinating with flight attendants. Cockpit-cabin communication interfered with first officer-ATC communication because when captain would talk to flight attendants; overhead speaker would cutout and first officer missed some ATC communications. Manually closing the outflow valve seemed to slow the loss of pressurization; cabin never increased above 11;000 ft. [We need to] inform pilots of the limitations of the overhead speaker and prioritize communications.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: B737 flight crew receives a cabin altitude warning horn at FL350 and declares an emergency. An emergency descent is initiated and communication difficulties with ATC are reported due to the overhead speaker cutting out when the Captain uses the PA system. Crew elected to divert to the nearest suitable airport but cabin altitude does not exceed 11;000 FT during the descent.
Narrative: Cabin altitude warning horn sounded at FL350. Captain and First Officer donned masks and established communication. Cabin Altitude Warning Horn and Emergency Descent Checklists were accomplished. Declared an emergency and began an emergency descent. First Officer was coordinating with ATC while Captain was coordinating with flight attendants. Cockpit-cabin communication interfered with First Officer-ATC communication because when Captain would talk to flight attendants; overhead speaker would cutout and First Officer missed some ATC communications. Manually closing the outflow valve seemed to slow the loss of pressurization; cabin never increased above 11;000 FT. [We need to] inform pilots of the limitations of the overhead speaker and prioritize communications.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.