Narrative:

During a scheduled flight from atlanta to boston, an onboard passenger (child 18 months old traveling with its mother) had an asthma attack. A physician was traveling onboard the aircraft as a passenger and possibly also a nurse. They were examining the child and treating it with medication. The doctor advised the crew that we should make a medical divert to the nearest airport. We advised ATC and our company and made a quick descent and approach at bwi. After we were at the gate, the child removed and the 'dust had settled,' the lead flight attendant advised the captain that the medical personnel and a flight attendant were not in their seat upon landing. We (cockpit crew) had given attendants all normal approach and landing warnings. It is normal not to get a response from the flight attendants unless something is abnormal. Since we did not hear from the flight attendants during the approach, we assumed everything was normal. In the future, during a rapid descent and approach, I will try to make an extra call to the flight attendants just to verify everything is ok. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated he was the flight engineer, so he was the pilot to make most of the announcements. They were at cruise altitude and had to descend fast to be able to land in bwi. He made the normal announcement, but he doesn't exactly know why the flight attendant and doctor were still standing for landing. No one was hurt or even shaken up.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT RPT, B727, ATL-BOS. BABY HAD ASTHMA ATTACK, DIVERT TO BWI. FE MADE SAFETY LNDG ANNOUNCEMENT. CABIN ATTENDANT, PAX NURSE AND MEDICAL DOCTOR STANDING UP FOR LNDG.

Narrative: DURING A SCHEDULED FLT FROM ATLANTA TO BOSTON, AN ONBOARD PAX (CHILD 18 MONTHS OLD TRAVELING WITH ITS MOTHER) HAD AN ASTHMA ATTACK. A PHYSICIAN WAS TRAVELING ONBOARD THE ACFT AS A PAX AND POSSIBLY ALSO A NURSE. THEY WERE EXAMINING THE CHILD AND TREATING IT WITH MEDICATION. THE DOCTOR ADVISED THE CREW THAT WE SHOULD MAKE A MEDICAL DIVERT TO THE NEAREST ARPT. WE ADVISED ATC AND OUR COMPANY AND MADE A QUICK DSCNT AND APCH AT BWI. AFTER WE WERE AT THE GATE, THE CHILD REMOVED AND THE 'DUST HAD SETTLED,' THE LEAD FLT ATTENDANT ADVISED THE CAPT THAT THE MEDICAL PERSONNEL AND A FLT ATTENDANT WERE NOT IN THEIR SEAT UPON LNDG. WE (COCKPIT CREW) HAD GIVEN ATTENDANTS ALL NORMAL APCH AND LNDG WARNINGS. IT IS NORMAL NOT TO GET A RESPONSE FROM THE FLT ATTENDANTS UNLESS SOMETHING IS ABNORMAL. SINCE WE DID NOT HEAR FROM THE FLT ATTENDANTS DURING THE APCH, WE ASSUMED EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL. IN THE FUTURE, DURING A RAPID DSCNT AND APCH, I WILL TRY TO MAKE AN EXTRA CALL TO THE FLT ATTENDANTS JUST TO VERIFY EVERYTHING IS OK. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED HE WAS THE FE, SO HE WAS THE PLT TO MAKE MOST OF THE ANNOUNCEMENTS. THEY WERE AT CRUISE ALT AND HAD TO DSND FAST TO BE ABLE TO LAND IN BWI. HE MADE THE NORMAL ANNOUNCEMENT, BUT HE DOESN'T EXACTLY KNOW WHY THE FLT ATTENDANT AND DOCTOR WERE STILL STANDING FOR LNDG. NO ONE WAS HURT OR EVEN SHAKEN UP.

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.