B737 LOST CTL OF THE CABIN PRESSURIZATION AND MADE AN EMER DSCNT.

Narrative

ATL TO EWR; AT AN ALT OF FL370; IN CRUISE; THE ALT WARNING HORN WENT OFF FOLLOWED BY DEPLOYMENT OF THE PAX OXYGEN MASKS. I WAS FLYING THE AIRPLANE AND GAVE CTL TO THE FO WHILE I DONNED MY OXYGEN MASK. I THEN TOOK BACK CTL OF THE ACFT WHILE THE FO DONNED HIS MASK. WE ESTABLISHED COM WITH EACH OTHER AND TURNED ON THE SEAT BELT SIGN. THE CABIN WAS ABOVE 14000 FT SO WE ASKED CTR FOR AN IMMEDIATE DSCNT. WE WERE CLRED TO FL350 THEN DOWN TO FL250 AND THEN DOWN TO 10000 FT. WE RAN THE EMER DEPRESSURIZATION CHKLIST BUT WERE UNABLE TO CTL THE CABIN. WE ADVISED ATC WE WERE GOING TO DIVERT TO GSO. AT 10000 FT WE SWITCHED THE PRESSURIZATION CONTROLLER BACK TO AUTO AND WERE ABLE TO CTL THE CABIN AGAIN. AT ONE POINT DURING OUR DSCNT WE NOTICED THE MAIN CABIN DOOR LIGHT ON; SO I OPTED TO DSND IN LEVEL CHANGE AT 310 KTS ABOUT 3500 FPM TAKING APPROX 7-8 MINS TO REACH 10000 FT. AT GSO WE HAD THE PARAMEDICS MEET THE ACFT. 2 PEOPLE NEEDED ASSISTANCE AND WERE RELEASED BY THE PARAMEDICS. DURING OUR DSCNT; I GAVE A PA TO THE PEOPLE; BUT IT WAS GARBLED DUE TO ME TALKING THROUGH THE OXYGEN MASK. AT 10000 FT I GAVE ANOTHER PA TELLING THE PAX WHAT HAD HAPPENED. THAT WE WERE DIVERTING AND OXYGEN WAS NO LONGER NEEDED. WE CALLED COMPANY IN IAH ON THE AIR PHONE AND TOLD THEM WE WERE DIVERTING ALONG WITH THE STATION IN GSO. AT 10000 FT; A FLT ATTENDANT CAME TO THE COCKPIT AND I BRIEFED HIM OF OUR SIT AND A NORMAL LNDG IN GSO IN ABOUT 20 MINS. AFTER TALKING WITH THE FLT ATTENDANT; HE INFORMED ME THAT 2 OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS HAD PASSED OUT TRYING TO GET FROM MID CABIN TO THEIR FORWARD JUMP SEAT. THE FIRST CLASS PAX HELPED THE FLT ATTENDANTS ON WITH THEIR OXYGEN MASKS; AND THEY REGAINED CONSCIOUSNESS. INITIALLY DURING THE DSCNT FROM FL370; I HAD TRIED TO REACH THE FLT ATTENDANTS BUT NO ONE ANSWERED. I LATER FOUND OUT WHY. THERE WAS BANGING AT THE COCKPIT DOOR AND THIS TURNED OUT TO BE THE PAX BANGING ON THE DOOR. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: CREW WAS FLYING A B737-300 ACFT. AFTER LNDG; COMPANY MAINT FOUND THAT ALL CABIN DOOR SEALS WERE LEAKING EXCESSIVELY. THE FORWARD OUTFLOW VALVE WAS FOUND TO NOT CLOSE FULLY. THIS WOULD ACCOUNT FOR LOSS OF CABIN PRESSURIZATION CTL. COMPANY FLT ATTENDANT TRAINING WAS DEFICIENT. THE FLT ATTENDANTS DID NOT TAKE THE FIRST AVAILABLE SEAT AND DON OXYGEN MASKS. THEY WERE FOUND PASSED OUT IN THE AISLE FLOOR. A DEADHEADING FLT ATTENDANT TOOK CHARGE OF THE CABIN WHEN IT WAS SAFE TO BE UP. THE CREW WAS UNABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE CABIN BECAUSE THE OXYGEN MASK MIKES WERE UNINTELLIGIBLE IN THE CABIN.