B737-400 flight crew notified of bomb threat on their aircraft. Requested priority handling and taxi...

Attributes
ACN	383842
Time
Date	199710
Day	Sun
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : rdd
State Reference	CA
Altitude	msl bound lower : 31000 msl bound upper : 31000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zoa tracon : rsw
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B737-400
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Navigation In Use	Other Other
Flight Phase	cruise other other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	other other : other pilot : commercial pilot : atp pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 300 flight time total : 7000 flight time type : 1000
ASRS Report	383842
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : far other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other other : unspecified
Resolutory Action	none taken : unable other
Consequence	faa : investigated Other
Supplementary
Air Traffic Incident	other
Situations
Airport	procedure or policy : unspecified

Narrative:

We were over redding, ca, when we received a call from director of flight control (dfc) stating that a woman had called a bomb threat on our aircraft and it was located in the belly of the airplane. Captain notified the first flight attendant of the situation and asked for inputs, whether we felt we should go back to oak, to go pdx, or continue to sea. We both stated that we would go with his decision. I stated that it might be wise to put it down in lmt or pdx. We decided lmt might not be a good option because it does not have the facilities to search for a bomb or get the passenger off. My instinct told me to go to pdx and I advised him of my opinion. At that time I believe we came to an agreement on going to pdx. He called the dfc and told him that we were thinking of going to pdx. Dfc told us to go ahead and bring it to sea and that he had started the ball rolling. Hence, we proceeded to sea. We advised ATC of our situation and they provided us priority handling to sea. The rest of the flight was uneventful. The captain had asked for busses and stairway to be available upon arrival in sea so that we may deplane our passenger expeditiously. Once we landed we parked in a remote area of the airport. The only personnel to meet the aircraft was the airport supervisor in a white bronco. It was not until 35 mins later that air stairs came to the aircraft and 2 busses. The response time from the ground was totally inadmissible! Captain did not want to pull the slides in fear of getting people hurt in the process of evacing the aircraft. The 2 busses filled up rapidly and there was not enough space to accommodate the whole flight. The police told us that the rest of the passenger had to get back on the airplane because they could not be on the tarmac. The captain advised the police officer that we supposedly have a bomb on the aircraft and that all passenger are coming off. We finally got everyone off safely off the aircraft, and the bomb squad searched the aircraft with their dog. There was definitely a breakdown in communication somewhere. I feel a quicker response time from the auths on the ground should have happened.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737-400 FLC NOTIFIED OF BOMB THREAT ON THEIR ACFT. REQUESTED PRIORITY HANDLING AND TAXIED TO REMOTE AREA. IT TOOK 35 MINS FOR AIR STAIRS THEN BUSSES TO ARRIVE TO TAKE PAX FROM ACFT AND BEGIN SEARCH.

Narrative: WE WERE OVER REDDING, CA, WHEN WE RECEIVED A CALL FROM DIRECTOR OF FLT CTL (DFC) STATING THAT A WOMAN HAD CALLED A BOMB THREAT ON OUR ACFT AND IT WAS LOCATED IN THE BELLY OF THE AIRPLANE. CAPT NOTIFIED THE FIRST FLT ATTENDANT OF THE SIT AND ASKED FOR INPUTS, WHETHER WE FELT WE SHOULD GO BACK TO OAK, TO GO PDX, OR CONTINUE TO SEA. WE BOTH STATED THAT WE WOULD GO WITH HIS DECISION. I STATED THAT IT MIGHT BE WISE TO PUT IT DOWN IN LMT OR PDX. WE DECIDED LMT MIGHT NOT BE A GOOD OPTION BECAUSE IT DOES NOT HAVE THE FACILITIES TO SEARCH FOR A BOMB OR GET THE PAX OFF. MY INSTINCT TOLD ME TO GO TO PDX AND I ADVISED HIM OF MY OPINION. AT THAT TIME I BELIEVE WE CAME TO AN AGREEMENT ON GOING TO PDX. HE CALLED THE DFC AND TOLD HIM THAT WE WERE THINKING OF GOING TO PDX. DFC TOLD US TO GO AHEAD AND BRING IT TO SEA AND THAT HE HAD STARTED THE BALL ROLLING. HENCE, WE PROCEEDED TO SEA. WE ADVISED ATC OF OUR SIT AND THEY PROVIDED US PRIORITY HANDLING TO SEA. THE REST OF THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL. THE CAPT HAD ASKED FOR BUSSES AND STAIRWAY TO BE AVAILABLE UPON ARR IN SEA SO THAT WE MAY DEPLANE OUR PAX EXPEDITIOUSLY. ONCE WE LANDED WE PARKED IN A REMOTE AREA OF THE ARPT. THE ONLY PERSONNEL TO MEET THE ACFT WAS THE ARPT SUPVR IN A WHITE BRONCO. IT WAS NOT UNTIL 35 MINS LATER THAT AIR STAIRS CAME TO THE ACFT AND 2 BUSSES. THE RESPONSE TIME FROM THE GND WAS TOTALLY INADMISSIBLE! CAPT DID NOT WANT TO PULL THE SLIDES IN FEAR OF GETTING PEOPLE HURT IN THE PROCESS OF EVACING THE ACFT. THE 2 BUSSES FILLED UP RAPIDLY AND THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH SPACE TO ACCOMMODATE THE WHOLE FLT. THE POLICE TOLD US THAT THE REST OF THE PAX HAD TO GET BACK ON THE AIRPLANE BECAUSE THEY COULD NOT BE ON THE TARMAC. THE CAPT ADVISED THE POLICE OFFICER THAT WE SUPPOSEDLY HAVE A BOMB ON THE ACFT AND THAT ALL PAX ARE COMING OFF. WE FINALLY GOT EVERYONE OFF SAFELY OFF THE ACFT, AND THE BOMB SQUAD SEARCHED THE ACFT WITH THEIR DOG. THERE WAS DEFINITELY A BREAKDOWN IN COM SOMEWHERE. I FEEL A QUICKER RESPONSE TIME FROM THE AUTHS ON THE GND SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED.

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.

B737-400 flight crew notified of bomb threat on their aircraft. Requested priority handling and taxied to remote area. It took 35 mins for air stairs then busses to arrive to take passenger from aircraft and begin search.