Narrative:

Flight X left atlanta en route to baltimore with a full passenger count, plus 1 extra passenger, who was in the first class lavatory from pushback to leveloff. The mistake was discovered when the passenger came out of the lavatory and did not have a seat. When boarding in atl, this passenger immediately went into the first class lavatory and remained there. He did so because he was extremely sick. When a seat count was done, since he was not occupying his seat, the gate agent released it to a standby passenger. Once at cruising altitude (FL280), I was informed by the lead flight attendant that we had a problem. I left the cockpit to talk to this passenger to obtain the facts. Upon seeing this person, my first impression was to ask myself why anyone would allow this ill of a person to fly? This passenger looked like he was terminally ill. His clothes were tattered and soiled. He was unable to concentrate on my questions or give a clear response. A PA was made for medical assistance. The lavatory which he utilized was soiled with vomit in the sink. I went back into the cockpit and contacted the company's operation center. After a few mins of conversation with operations, the decision was made to continue on to bwi. As this decision was being made, the flight attendant informed me that the ill passenger was again vomiting. This then led me to the decision to divert to clt to get this man to a qualified medical facility. The emt personnel took a brief look at him and immediately sent him to the hospital. I put this man in the forward flight attendant jump seat for 3 reasons: 1) to allow the flight attendant to give him attention until we landed. 2) to isolate him from other passenger in case he may have a contagious illness. 3) to have him at the front door so that the emt's could see him immediately upon landing. Once the decision was made to divert, all of the necessary agencies involved did a superb job in assisting me getting the aircraft safely on the ground. The problem was caused by a pressured gate agent trying to get the aircraft out on time, instead of ensuring an accurate passenger count. Even though the aircraft was oversold, he brought me final paperwork that showed a plane that was not full. When the seats were again counted and 1 seat was shown to be empty, rather than find out what was going on with the ticket, the gate agent got a standby passenger and put him in the empty seat. If the agent had checked the computer, he would have seen that the seat was already assigned. Although having too many passenger is rare, inaccurate passenger counts are common place. Because the airline has final paperwork that usually allows for '4 passenger or 320 pounds of bags,' the gate agents use this to get the aircraft out on time with inaccurate passenger counts.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MULTIPLE PLT RPT, MD88, ATL-BWI. WHEN AN EXTREMELY SICK PAX BOARDED, HE WENT STRAIGHT TO LAVATORY, STAYED THERE FOR TKOF, CLB. AGENT BOARDED PAX FOR HIS SEAT, 1 PAX TOO MANY. DIVERT TO CLT. ILL PAX SAT ON CABIN ATTENDANT JUMP SEAT, HOSPITAL CLT.

Narrative: FLT X LEFT ATLANTA ENRTE TO BALTIMORE WITH A FULL PAX COUNT, PLUS 1 EXTRA PAX, WHO WAS IN THE FIRST CLASS LAVATORY FROM PUSHBACK TO LEVELOFF. THE MISTAKE WAS DISCOVERED WHEN THE PAX CAME OUT OF THE LAVATORY AND DID NOT HAVE A SEAT. WHEN BOARDING IN ATL, THIS PAX IMMEDIATELY WENT INTO THE FIRST CLASS LAVATORY AND REMAINED THERE. HE DID SO BECAUSE HE WAS EXTREMELY SICK. WHEN A SEAT COUNT WAS DONE, SINCE HE WAS NOT OCCUPYING HIS SEAT, THE GATE AGENT RELEASED IT TO A STANDBY PAX. ONCE AT CRUISING ALT (FL280), I WAS INFORMED BY THE LEAD FLT ATTENDANT THAT WE HAD A PROB. I LEFT THE COCKPIT TO TALK TO THIS PAX TO OBTAIN THE FACTS. UPON SEEING THIS PERSON, MY FIRST IMPRESSION WAS TO ASK MYSELF WHY ANYONE WOULD ALLOW THIS ILL OF A PERSON TO FLY? THIS PAX LOOKED LIKE HE WAS TERMINALLY ILL. HIS CLOTHES WERE TATTERED AND SOILED. HE WAS UNABLE TO CONCENTRATE ON MY QUESTIONS OR GIVE A CLR RESPONSE. A PA WAS MADE FOR MEDICAL ASSISTANCE. THE LAVATORY WHICH HE UTILIZED WAS SOILED WITH VOMIT IN THE SINK. I WENT BACK INTO THE COCKPIT AND CONTACTED THE COMPANY'S OP CTR. AFTER A FEW MINS OF CONVERSATION WITH OPS, THE DECISION WAS MADE TO CONTINUE ON TO BWI. AS THIS DECISION WAS BEING MADE, THE FLT ATTENDANT INFORMED ME THAT THE ILL PAX WAS AGAIN VOMITING. THIS THEN LED ME TO THE DECISION TO DIVERT TO CLT TO GET THIS MAN TO A QUALIFIED MEDICAL FACILITY. THE EMT PERSONNEL TOOK A BRIEF LOOK AT HIM AND IMMEDIATELY SENT HIM TO THE HOSPITAL. I PUT THIS MAN IN THE FORWARD FLT ATTENDANT JUMP SEAT FOR 3 REASONS: 1) TO ALLOW THE FLT ATTENDANT TO GIVE HIM ATTN UNTIL WE LANDED. 2) TO ISOLATE HIM FROM OTHER PAX IN CASE HE MAY HAVE A CONTAGIOUS ILLNESS. 3) TO HAVE HIM AT THE FRONT DOOR SO THAT THE EMT'S COULD SEE HIM IMMEDIATELY UPON LNDG. ONCE THE DECISION WAS MADE TO DIVERT, ALL OF THE NECESSARY AGENCIES INVOLVED DID A SUPERB JOB IN ASSISTING ME GETTING THE ACFT SAFELY ON THE GND. THE PROB WAS CAUSED BY A PRESSURED GATE AGENT TRYING TO GET THE ACFT OUT ON TIME, INSTEAD OF ENSURING AN ACCURATE PAX COUNT. EVEN THOUGH THE ACFT WAS OVERSOLD, HE BROUGHT ME FINAL PAPERWORK THAT SHOWED A PLANE THAT WAS NOT FULL. WHEN THE SEATS WERE AGAIN COUNTED AND 1 SEAT WAS SHOWN TO BE EMPTY, RATHER THAN FIND OUT WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH THE TICKET, THE GATE AGENT GOT A STANDBY PAX AND PUT HIM IN THE EMPTY SEAT. IF THE AGENT HAD CHKED THE COMPUTER, HE WOULD HAVE SEEN THAT THE SEAT WAS ALREADY ASSIGNED. ALTHOUGH HAVING TOO MANY PAX IS RARE, INACCURATE PAX COUNTS ARE COMMON PLACE. BECAUSE THE AIRLINE HAS FINAL PAPERWORK THAT USUALLY ALLOWS FOR '4 PAX OR 320 LBS OF BAGS,' THE GATE AGENTS USE THIS TO GET THE ACFT OUT ON TIME WITH INACCURATE PAX COUNTS.

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.