EMB ERJ 145 ER/LR
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical
Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Flight Crew Diverted; Flight Crew Landed As Precaution; General Declared Emergency
Aircraft
While in cruise at 36;000 FT we felt our ears pop and then got the aural warning cabin altitude and looked at the EICAS screen and pressure was reading 12;500 FT. We then preformed the memory items for rapid decompression and then declared and emergency and ATC gave us a descent to 13;000 FT. I then preformed an emergency descent so that we could get down to 10;000 FT and ATC was then giving us radar vectors to the nearest suitable airport. Once below 10;000 FT we then took off the oxygen masks and preformed the landing as normal. When the Captain put on his oxygen mask he was not able to communicate with ATC.
While cruising at FL360 we felt our ears pop and immediately looked at the EICAS and noticed the cabin altitude climbing to 12;500. We immediately performed the rapid cabin depressurization memory items and after we DON the oxygen mask and established crew communication I ran the Immediate Action Checklist (IAC) followed by the Emergency Descent memory item and IAC. We where right over [a suitable airport] and I decided to land there so we declared and emergency and I notify Dispatch of the situation. We made the emergency descent to 10;000 and took off the O2 mask and landed. Cabin depressurization and I was unable to contact ATC while on my O2 mask but communication with First Officer was good.
EMB145 flight crew experiences loss of cabin pressurization at FL360 and diverts to the nearest suitable airport.