Narrative:

I arrived at the airport with my first officer one hour prior to departure time. Flight was progressing on ground normally. There was a small maintenance item on the arming of over-wing exit slide which was tended to. Flight left 17 minutes late out of gate. Climb out and cruise was normal. At approximately 2 hours into flight we both had our crew meals. The first officer had the ravioli; and I had the teriyaki steak dinner. Within 15 minutes of eating the meal; I started experiencing the onset of an allergic reaction. My eyes began to itch; my nose started to run; and my hands began to itch. The rate at which these symptoms appeared was familiar to me as I am severely allergic to certain food items (peanuts; pine nuts; sesame seeds; pumpkin seeds; etc.). Within 30 minutes of eating the crew meal; my tongue had swollen to the point where I was not able to speak understandably; my eyes had swollen to the point where my vision was significantly restricted; my breathing was labored. I am very familiar with my own reaction to these allergies and knew at that point I would be unable to perform my duties as the pilot flying and PIC. Fifteen minutes later I transferred flying duties and PIC duties to my first officer. Fortunately; we had a jumpseater in the observer seat to aid the first officer with altitude verifications and radio calls. We plugged him in with his headset from the observer's seat. At this point; I had no choice but to take 75 mgs of benydryl to help lessen the effects of the allergic reaction. I also retrieved my epi-pen from my suitcase. I instructed the jump-seater on how to administer the epi-pen 'just in case.' during descent into our scheduled destination; I sent an ACARS message to dispatch instructing them [to] contact scheduling for replacement. They contacted my wife to pick me up from the airport. Upon arrival; I contacted the duty officer to relay the incident. I then proceeded immediately to the emergency room. There I received additional medication to counteract the allergic reaction and was released 3 hours later. Follow up treatment is steroids for 5 days with benydryl. I ingested food that I am allergic too. Post a memo alerting flight crews about the possibility of being served crew meals that may cause allergic reactions.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: An Air Carrier Captain described an incapacitating allergic (anaphylactic) reaction to his crew meal during flight which required the First Officer and Jumpseater to coordinate the remainder of the flight.

Narrative: I arrived at the airport with my First Officer one hour prior to departure time. Flight was progressing on ground normally. There was a small maintenance item on the arming of over-wing exit slide which was tended to. Flight left 17 minutes late out of gate. Climb out and cruise was normal. At approximately 2 hours into flight we both had our crew meals. The First Officer had the Ravioli; and I had the Teriyaki Steak dinner. Within 15 minutes of eating the meal; I started experiencing the onset of an allergic reaction. My eyes began to itch; my nose started to run; and my hands began to itch. The rate at which these symptoms appeared was familiar to me as I am severely allergic to certain food items (peanuts; pine nuts; sesame seeds; pumpkin seeds; etc.). Within 30 minutes of eating the crew meal; my tongue had swollen to the point where I was not able to speak understandably; my eyes had swollen to the point where my vision was significantly restricted; my breathing was labored. I am very familiar with my own reaction to these allergies and knew at that point I would be unable to perform my duties as the pilot flying and PIC. Fifteen minutes later I transferred flying duties and PIC duties to my First Officer. Fortunately; we had a jumpseater in the observer seat to aid the First Officer with altitude verifications and radio calls. We plugged him in with his headset from the observer's seat. At this point; I had no choice but to take 75 mgs of Benydryl to help lessen the effects of the allergic reaction. I also retrieved my Epi-Pen from my suitcase. I instructed the jump-seater on how to administer the Epi-Pen 'just in case.' During descent into our scheduled destination; I sent an ACARS message to Dispatch instructing them [to] contact Scheduling for replacement. They contacted my wife to pick me up from the airport. Upon arrival; I contacted the Duty Officer to relay the incident. I then proceeded immediately to the Emergency Room. There I received additional medication to counteract the allergic reaction and was released 3 hours later. Follow up treatment is steroids for 5 days with Benydryl. I ingested food that I am allergic too. Post a memo alerting flight crews about the possibility of being served crew meals that may cause allergic reactions.

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.