Narrative:

My crew and I met the inbound flight coming in and continuing on to mco. The purser on the off-going crew said that there was a peculiar noise that sounded like a ticking clock or even a time bomb in the aft section of the plane. The off-going purser said that she notified the captain the night prior about the noise; however; nothing was ever done. She said she contacted maintenance; and still nothing was done or logged in the logbook. When the plane reached den; my crew insisted that we at least have maintenance check out the noise. The captain was reluctant to take a further delay; however; he did call maintenance. Maintenance said they could not find the source or location of the noise; however; verified that noise was indeed there. The flight crew I was flying with said that after 26 yrs of flying they had never heard the noise. Neither the captain nor the first officer ever went to verify the noise. The captain said that we were ready to close the aircraft door; and the agent was ready to close the door. I had called a supervisor during the investigation of the peculiar noise to let them know that I did not feel comfortable flying on a plane with a noise we could not find the source of. The supervisor said they would call operations and get back to me. However; the captain was ready to close the aircraft door without addressing my concerns; or for that matter passenger concerns. We all wanted reassurance. I stepped off the aircraft at the point that the door was getting ready to be shut; as I did not feel comfortable with the lack of explanation of noise. At this point; the aircraft did not have FAA minimums on board the aircraft. I waited in the jetway for a while; while trying to reach a supervisor. The captain and the agent directed me to get off the aircraft if I was not going; or get on so they could close the door. I opted to get off the plane. I was getting angry comments from the customer service representatives; so I decided to wait by the gate until I could reach a supervisor again. As I was waiting; the agent started to offload passenger; and at that point a supervisor walked up with a replacement flight attendant. I was walked back to the office where I wrote a report. I was told that my supervisor would be calling me for my safety infraction. I did not want to walk off the plane and leave the aircraft with below FAA minimums; however; customer service representative agent was getting ready to close the door in my face. I did not feel safe with an undetermined noise on the aircraft. There were no announcements to passenger regarding what the noise was; nor were there any reassurances that this noise was not life threatening. 3 sets of pilots minimized flight attendant and passenger concerns in the name of on-time departures.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CABIN ATTENDANT IS CONCERNED ABOUT TICKING NOISE OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN IN ACFT.

Narrative: MY CREW AND I MET THE INBOUND FLT COMING IN AND CONTINUING ON TO MCO. THE PURSER ON THE OFF-GOING CREW SAID THAT THERE WAS A PECULIAR NOISE THAT SOUNDED LIKE A TICKING CLOCK OR EVEN A TIME BOMB IN THE AFT SECTION OF THE PLANE. THE OFF-GOING PURSER SAID THAT SHE NOTIFIED THE CAPT THE NIGHT PRIOR ABOUT THE NOISE; HOWEVER; NOTHING WAS EVER DONE. SHE SAID SHE CONTACTED MAINT; AND STILL NOTHING WAS DONE OR LOGGED IN THE LOGBOOK. WHEN THE PLANE REACHED DEN; MY CREW INSISTED THAT WE AT LEAST HAVE MAINT CHK OUT THE NOISE. THE CAPT WAS RELUCTANT TO TAKE A FURTHER DELAY; HOWEVER; HE DID CALL MAINT. MAINT SAID THEY COULD NOT FIND THE SOURCE OR LOCATION OF THE NOISE; HOWEVER; VERIFIED THAT NOISE WAS INDEED THERE. THE FLT CREW I WAS FLYING WITH SAID THAT AFTER 26 YRS OF FLYING THEY HAD NEVER HEARD THE NOISE. NEITHER THE CAPT NOR THE FO EVER WENT TO VERIFY THE NOISE. THE CAPT SAID THAT WE WERE READY TO CLOSE THE ACFT DOOR; AND THE AGENT WAS READY TO CLOSE THE DOOR. I HAD CALLED A SUPVR DURING THE INVESTIGATION OF THE PECULIAR NOISE TO LET THEM KNOW THAT I DID NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE FLYING ON A PLANE WITH A NOISE WE COULD NOT FIND THE SOURCE OF. THE SUPVR SAID THEY WOULD CALL OPS AND GET BACK TO ME. HOWEVER; THE CAPT WAS READY TO CLOSE THE ACFT DOOR WITHOUT ADDRESSING MY CONCERNS; OR FOR THAT MATTER PAX CONCERNS. WE ALL WANTED REASSURANCE. I STEPPED OFF THE ACFT AT THE POINT THAT THE DOOR WAS GETTING READY TO BE SHUT; AS I DID NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH THE LACK OF EXPLANATION OF NOISE. AT THIS POINT; THE ACFT DID NOT HAVE FAA MINIMUMS ON BOARD THE ACFT. I WAITED IN THE JETWAY FOR A WHILE; WHILE TRYING TO REACH A SUPVR. THE CAPT AND THE AGENT DIRECTED ME TO GET OFF THE ACFT IF I WAS NOT GOING; OR GET ON SO THEY COULD CLOSE THE DOOR. I OPTED TO GET OFF THE PLANE. I WAS GETTING ANGRY COMMENTS FROM THE CUSTOMER SVC REPRESENTATIVES; SO I DECIDED TO WAIT BY THE GATE UNTIL I COULD REACH A SUPVR AGAIN. AS I WAS WAITING; THE AGENT STARTED TO OFFLOAD PAX; AND AT THAT POINT A SUPVR WALKED UP WITH A REPLACEMENT FLT ATTENDANT. I WAS WALKED BACK TO THE OFFICE WHERE I WROTE A RPT. I WAS TOLD THAT MY SUPVR WOULD BE CALLING ME FOR MY SAFETY INFRACTION. I DID NOT WANT TO WALK OFF THE PLANE AND LEAVE THE ACFT WITH BELOW FAA MINIMUMS; HOWEVER; CUSTOMER SVC REPRESENTATIVE AGENT WAS GETTING READY TO CLOSE THE DOOR IN MY FACE. I DID NOT FEEL SAFE WITH AN UNDETERMINED NOISE ON THE ACFT. THERE WERE NO ANNOUNCEMENTS TO PAX REGARDING WHAT THE NOISE WAS; NOR WERE THERE ANY REASSURANCES THAT THIS NOISE WAS NOT LIFE THREATENING. 3 SETS OF PLTS MINIMIZED FLT ATTENDANT AND PAX CONCERNS IN THE NAME OF ON-TIME DEPS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.