A B777 departure was delayed from a foreign airport because a sufficient number of double chambered child life vests were not on board.
Synopsis
A B777 departure was delayed from a foreign airport because a sufficient number of double chambered child life vests were not on board.
Narrative
Our new preflight is to check location and to verify the equipment is there. The incorrect infant life vests were boarded and stored in the 2L video closet of the B777. We did not know we had the incorrect vests until distributing the infant life vests. The incorrect vests were given to customers at first by another Flight Attendant; but before flight the correct vest and amount was given to passengers. We took a long delay due to not having the right equipment on board. The bag marked infant vests had twenty adult single chamber vests; not twenty double chambered child vests. There was a delay locating the correct vests at this station and some confusion about which vest was appropriate. The flight crew kept advocating to ground service and mechanics what was the correct vests and the differences between the double chamber and the single chamber vests on the B777. There needs to be procedures where we go back to flight attendants checking and counting the vests again instead of the new way. We wouldn't have had a delay and wouldn't have the flight fly all the way from US without the proper equipment if the old procedures were in place.
Second reporter narrative
There were only four infant life vests onboard. There should be 20. We needed eight. The pouches marked 'infant life vests' were actually packed with child/adult vests (not for use for under 35 pounds). We were also not able to use adult vests as this aircraft configuration only has single chamber vests vs. dual chamber vests that can be used on those under 35 pounds per in flight manual. As such; our flight was delayed over an hour while ground staff/mechanics found extra infant vests from where ever.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.