Narrative:

Departed dsm for cvg on time and called dsm station to report out/off times as required. The agent stated that he had a problem with the passenger count and wanted to verify the number of passenger on board. The flight attendant had also miscounted the passenger and we had one less passenger than was anticipated. The agent called back and stated that he was 'afraid that the missing passenger was acting stupid and had made some remarks while checking his bag that he didn't want to get into on the radio.' I asked him what the remark was and he said that the passenger had told him he had an atom bomb in his checked bag. Now this checked bag was on our flight and the passenger was not. I called dispatch to inform them of our situation and we agreed that we should divert the flight to cid. I informed the flight attendant of the information that we had so far and that we were diverting to cid. I made a similar announcement to the passenger. I called dispatch back again to see if we should declare an emergency and they thought it best not to. We landed in cid and were instructed to taxi to the bomb threat area. 1 police officer and 2 gate agents met us there. Dispatch had told the agents that they were supposed to locate and remove this bag from the aircraft. I insisted that this type of work needed to be done with someone with training in bomb disposal. The police officer said that dispatch wouldn't call this an emergency so they did not have busses to transport the passenger to the terminal and did not have the explosives dog on scene. The officer also refused to look for and remove the bag. I again insisted that a trained individual be brought out to deal with this situation. He said that in order to get this accomplished we would have to treat it like a 'real emergency.' I told him to do what he had to do, but get someone out here to remove the passenger and someone trained to work with explosives to remove this bag. They had some trouble locating the explosive sniffing dog and the dog handler and also had some trouble lining up busses to transport the passenger to the terminal. Eventually the passenger were transported to the terminal, the bag was found by the bomb squad and did not contain any explosives (it was removed from the aircraft anyway), the flight was redispatched, refueled, reloaded and continued to cvg. The handling of this situation by dispatch and the auths in cid was very poor. The bomb squad and passenger transportation should have been there to meet us after we landed. If this was enough of an emergency to divert for, it was enough to follow through with. Supplemental information from acn 393743: the bag was removed from the aircraft by the bomb squad, the flight redispatched, refueled, reloaded and continued to cvg. The person originally receiving the threat should have immediately called the auths and our company dispatch should have advised the bomb squad meet us when we diverted.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC OF CL65 IS NOTIFIED DURING CLBOUT THAT PAX COUNT IS IN ERROR. PAX NOT BOARDED BUT HIS BAG ON BOARD AND HE HAD SPOKEN OF AN ATOM BOMB IN HIS BAGGAGE. FLT DIVERTS.

Narrative: DEPARTED DSM FOR CVG ON TIME AND CALLED DSM STATION TO RPT OUT/OFF TIMES AS REQUIRED. THE AGENT STATED THAT HE HAD A PROB WITH THE PAX COUNT AND WANTED TO VERIFY THE NUMBER OF PAX ON BOARD. THE FLT ATTENDANT HAD ALSO MISCOUNTED THE PAX AND WE HAD ONE LESS PAX THAN WAS ANTICIPATED. THE AGENT CALLED BACK AND STATED THAT HE WAS 'AFRAID THAT THE MISSING PAX WAS ACTING STUPID AND HAD MADE SOME REMARKS WHILE CHKING HIS BAG THAT HE DIDN'T WANT TO GET INTO ON THE RADIO.' I ASKED HIM WHAT THE REMARK WAS AND HE SAID THAT THE PAX HAD TOLD HIM HE HAD AN ATOM BOMB IN HIS CHKED BAG. NOW THIS CHKED BAG WAS ON OUR FLT AND THE PAX WAS NOT. I CALLED DISPATCH TO INFORM THEM OF OUR SIT AND WE AGREED THAT WE SHOULD DIVERT THE FLT TO CID. I INFORMED THE FLT ATTENDANT OF THE INFO THAT WE HAD SO FAR AND THAT WE WERE DIVERTING TO CID. I MADE A SIMILAR ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE PAX. I CALLED DISPATCH BACK AGAIN TO SEE IF WE SHOULD DECLARE AN EMER AND THEY THOUGHT IT BEST NOT TO. WE LANDED IN CID AND WERE INSTRUCTED TO TAXI TO THE BOMB THREAT AREA. 1 POLICE OFFICER AND 2 GATE AGENTS MET US THERE. DISPATCH HAD TOLD THE AGENTS THAT THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO LOCATE AND REMOVE THIS BAG FROM THE ACFT. I INSISTED THAT THIS TYPE OF WORK NEEDED TO BE DONE WITH SOMEONE WITH TRAINING IN BOMB DISPOSAL. THE POLICE OFFICER SAID THAT DISPATCH WOULDN'T CALL THIS AN EMER SO THEY DID NOT HAVE BUSSES TO TRANSPORT THE PAX TO THE TERMINAL AND DID NOT HAVE THE EXPLOSIVES DOG ON SCENE. THE OFFICER ALSO REFUSED TO LOOK FOR AND REMOVE THE BAG. I AGAIN INSISTED THAT A TRAINED INDIVIDUAL BE BROUGHT OUT TO DEAL WITH THIS SIT. HE SAID THAT IN ORDER TO GET THIS ACCOMPLISHED WE WOULD HAVE TO TREAT IT LIKE A 'REAL EMER.' I TOLD HIM TO DO WHAT HE HAD TO DO, BUT GET SOMEONE OUT HERE TO REMOVE THE PAX AND SOMEONE TRAINED TO WORK WITH EXPLOSIVES TO REMOVE THIS BAG. THEY HAD SOME TROUBLE LOCATING THE EXPLOSIVE SNIFFING DOG AND THE DOG HANDLER AND ALSO HAD SOME TROUBLE LINING UP BUSSES TO TRANSPORT THE PAX TO THE TERMINAL. EVENTUALLY THE PAX WERE TRANSPORTED TO THE TERMINAL, THE BAG WAS FOUND BY THE BOMB SQUAD AND DID NOT CONTAIN ANY EXPLOSIVES (IT WAS REMOVED FROM THE ACFT ANYWAY), THE FLT WAS REDISPATCHED, REFUELED, RELOADED AND CONTINUED TO CVG. THE HANDLING OF THIS SIT BY DISPATCH AND THE AUTHS IN CID WAS VERY POOR. THE BOMB SQUAD AND PAX TRANSPORTATION SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE TO MEET US AFTER WE LANDED. IF THIS WAS ENOUGH OF AN EMER TO DIVERT FOR, IT WAS ENOUGH TO FOLLOW THROUGH WITH. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 393743: THE BAG WAS REMOVED FROM THE ACFT BY THE BOMB SQUAD, THE FLT REDISPATCHED, REFUELED, RELOADED AND CONTINUED TO CVG. THE PERSON ORIGINALLY RECEIVING THE THREAT SHOULD HAVE IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE AUTHS AND OUR COMPANY DISPATCH SHOULD HAVE ADVISED THE BOMB SQUAD MEET US WHEN WE DIVERTED.

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.