Narrative:

Captain's leg. FAA operations inspector bwi came on board before departure to inspect my operation. At about 10000 ft the flight attendant call signal was answered by first officer advising me he was off ATC. I listened in on intercom. After he hung up, filled me in on the situation. From the overhead passenger stowage area, a foreign liquid with a caustic, precarious smell was dripping on the passenger near 29DEF, rows fore and aft. A call from faic advised it was chlorine bleach (clorox, maybe). I advised ATC that I wanted a reversal back to bwi for landing on runway 28 (immediately adjacent to our gate and succor). I was instructed to stop the climb at 13000 ft or 14000 ft and did so with an immediate request for lower and a heading back to bwi, which was received. The FAA inspector, should be considered as a witness to everything, should a future need develop. For, he overheard my request and approval to use runway 28, later stated he was going to work with ATC on the mix-up yet to come. We had been climbing with engine heat on and were IMC. After the initial flight attendant call, first officer was on the radio to atl and then bwi operations. We did the descent checklist, in between his speaking to the passenger, flight attendants and company radios. We were still IMC, descending parallel to runway 28, on vectors from above 10000 ft. Dca approach controller then handed us off to local approach at bwi. As we broke out of the overcast, I was somewhat disoriented about which runway I saw due to being on the gauges till then. I could see the airport and a nice runway, but felt uncomfortable. We were then cleared for a visual approach to the airport. First officer was working on the approach checklist. I asked him to be sure that he had idented the ILS on runway 28. He could not confirm it via identify, as the tuned frequency identify was not the one for runway 28. I pointed to the airport and asked him if that runway in sight was runway 28. He reassured me that visually it was and, I believe, the FAA inspector agreed with him (it was in fact runway 28). I disconnected the flight director, first officer queried the tower as to the anomaly in the identify for runway 28. They stated they thought we were landing on runway 33? I wanted runway 28 and we were reclred for a visual to runway 28. Apparently, in the rush, the dca controller did not advise local approach control that we were headed for runway 28. We landed arriving at our gate with minimum delay. Everything worked out quite well. Our station manager (bwi) was well prepared, although having only 5-10 mins lead time. All available personnel were on or about the airplane. The emt's requested boarded expeditiously. Our station manager was in contact with proctor and gamble, incorporated, about problems with the chemical. Apparently they advised him to have staff dilute the saturation with water and then lemon juice (to diffuse/eradicate the mild chlorine odor). This was accomplished after a very orderly removal of most tourist passenger. In retrospect, it was a classically beautiful operation from a totally company team. A fantastic response from the bwi company ground people. Hard to imagine contract workers, speaking a foreign language doing what had to be done with those passenger and the plane. The frosting was when we had everything under control. We were ready to close the door but the logbook entry needed to be handled. Some people had deplaned knowing their flts in atl would be missed. Affected people from the cabin were put in first class and the seats around row 29 had cushions removed and the area masked off. Without first officer's smooth attentiveness to the needed details, our situation could have gotten sticky. It is necessary to mention the professionalism of my cabin crew, under the direction of previously mentioned faic. The passenger forms had been distributed. Many people had different problems. Our relatively senior flight attendants caringly took care of each passenger's needs -- they did a great job and were appreciated by the customers and me. The owner of the overturned bleach bottle, a lady about 60-ish, and going to atl to ride air carrier to amsterdam. She could speak no english. One might suspect that bleach is a rare commodity in poland. After landing and at the gate, she was in the mid galley under great stress. I was asked to go and speak with her. She appeared resigned and ready to go to the wall for punishment. A special effort to comfort her was made by all. Fortunately there was a man in the rear that could interpret for her. When we arrived atl, our agents took special care of her, with the help of the interpreter.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LGT HAS LEAKAGE FROM OVERHEAD BIN DETRIMENTAL TO PAX. RETURN LAND.

Narrative: CAPT'S LEG. FAA OPS INSPECTOR BWI CAME ON BOARD BEFORE DEP TO INSPECT MY OP. AT ABOUT 10000 FT THE FLT ATTENDANT CALL SIGNAL WAS ANSWERED BY FO ADVISING ME HE WAS OFF ATC. I LISTENED IN ON INTERCOM. AFTER HE HUNG UP, FILLED ME IN ON THE SIT. FROM THE OVERHEAD PAX STOWAGE AREA, A FOREIGN LIQUID WITH A CAUSTIC, PRECARIOUS SMELL WAS DRIPPING ON THE PAX NEAR 29DEF, ROWS FORE AND AFT. A CALL FROM FAIC ADVISED IT WAS CHLORINE BLEACH (CLOROX, MAYBE). I ADVISED ATC THAT I WANTED A REVERSAL BACK TO BWI FOR LNDG ON RWY 28 (IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO OUR GATE AND SUCCOR). I WAS INSTRUCTED TO STOP THE CLB AT 13000 FT OR 14000 FT AND DID SO WITH AN IMMEDIATE REQUEST FOR LOWER AND A HDG BACK TO BWI, WHICH WAS RECEIVED. THE FAA INSPECTOR, SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AS A WITNESS TO EVERYTHING, SHOULD A FUTURE NEED DEVELOP. FOR, HE OVERHEARD MY REQUEST AND APPROVAL TO USE RWY 28, LATER STATED HE WAS GOING TO WORK WITH ATC ON THE MIX-UP YET TO COME. WE HAD BEEN CLBING WITH ENG HEAT ON AND WERE IMC. AFTER THE INITIAL FLT ATTENDANT CALL, FO WAS ON THE RADIO TO ATL AND THEN BWI OPS. WE DID THE DSCNT CHKLIST, IN BTWN HIS SPEAKING TO THE PAX, FLT ATTENDANTS AND COMPANY RADIOS. WE WERE STILL IMC, DSNDING PARALLEL TO RWY 28, ON VECTORS FROM ABOVE 10000 FT. DCA APCH CTLR THEN HANDED US OFF TO LCL APCH AT BWI. AS WE BROKE OUT OF THE OVCST, I WAS SOMEWHAT DISORIENTED ABOUT WHICH RWY I SAW DUE TO BEING ON THE GAUGES TILL THEN. I COULD SEE THE ARPT AND A NICE RWY, BUT FELT UNCOMFORTABLE. WE WERE THEN CLRED FOR A VISUAL APCH TO THE ARPT. FO WAS WORKING ON THE APCH CHKLIST. I ASKED HIM TO BE SURE THAT HE HAD IDENTED THE ILS ON RWY 28. HE COULD NOT CONFIRM IT VIA IDENT, AS THE TUNED FREQ IDENT WAS NOT THE ONE FOR RWY 28. I POINTED TO THE ARPT AND ASKED HIM IF THAT RWY IN SIGHT WAS RWY 28. HE REASSURED ME THAT VISUALLY IT WAS AND, I BELIEVE, THE FAA INSPECTOR AGREED WITH HIM (IT WAS IN FACT RWY 28). I DISCONNECTED THE FLT DIRECTOR, FO QUERIED THE TWR AS TO THE ANOMALY IN THE IDENT FOR RWY 28. THEY STATED THEY THOUGHT WE WERE LNDG ON RWY 33? I WANTED RWY 28 AND WE WERE RECLRED FOR A VISUAL TO RWY 28. APPARENTLY, IN THE RUSH, THE DCA CTLR DID NOT ADVISE LCL APCH CTL THAT WE WERE HEADED FOR RWY 28. WE LANDED ARRIVING AT OUR GATE WITH MINIMUM DELAY. EVERYTHING WORKED OUT QUITE WELL. OUR STATION MGR (BWI) WAS WELL PREPARED, ALTHOUGH HAVING ONLY 5-10 MINS LEAD TIME. ALL AVAILABLE PERSONNEL WERE ON OR ABOUT THE AIRPLANE. THE EMT'S REQUESTED BOARDED EXPEDITIOUSLY. OUR STATION MGR WAS IN CONTACT WITH PROCTOR AND GAMBLE, INC, ABOUT PROBS WITH THE CHEMICAL. APPARENTLY THEY ADVISED HIM TO HAVE STAFF DILUTE THE SATURATION WITH WATER AND THEN LEMON JUICE (TO DIFFUSE/ERADICATE THE MILD CHLORINE ODOR). THIS WAS ACCOMPLISHED AFTER A VERY ORDERLY REMOVAL OF MOST TOURIST PAX. IN RETROSPECT, IT WAS A CLASSICALLY BEAUTIFUL OP FROM A TOTALLY COMPANY TEAM. A FANTASTIC RESPONSE FROM THE BWI COMPANY GND PEOPLE. HARD TO IMAGINE CONTRACT WORKERS, SPEAKING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE DOING WHAT HAD TO BE DONE WITH THOSE PAX AND THE PLANE. THE FROSTING WAS WHEN WE HAD EVERYTHING UNDER CTL. WE WERE READY TO CLOSE THE DOOR BUT THE LOGBOOK ENTRY NEEDED TO BE HANDLED. SOME PEOPLE HAD DEPLANED KNOWING THEIR FLTS IN ATL WOULD BE MISSED. AFFECTED PEOPLE FROM THE CABIN WERE PUT IN FIRST CLASS AND THE SEATS AROUND ROW 29 HAD CUSHIONS REMOVED AND THE AREA MASKED OFF. WITHOUT FO'S SMOOTH ATTENTIVENESS TO THE NEEDED DETAILS, OUR SIT COULD HAVE GOTTEN STICKY. IT IS NECESSARY TO MENTION THE PROFESSIONALISM OF MY CABIN CREW, UNDER THE DIRECTION OF PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED FAIC. THE PAX FORMS HAD BEEN DISTRIBUTED. MANY PEOPLE HAD DIFFERENT PROBS. OUR RELATIVELY SENIOR FLT ATTENDANTS CARINGLY TOOK CARE OF EACH PAX'S NEEDS -- THEY DID A GREAT JOB AND WERE APPRECIATED BY THE CUSTOMERS AND ME. THE OWNER OF THE OVERTURNED BLEACH BOTTLE, A LADY ABOUT 60-ISH, AND GOING TO ATL TO RIDE ACR TO AMSTERDAM. SHE COULD SPEAK NO ENGLISH. ONE MIGHT SUSPECT THAT BLEACH IS A RARE COMMODITY IN POLAND. AFTER LNDG AND AT THE GATE, SHE WAS IN THE MID GALLEY UNDER GREAT STRESS. I WAS ASKED TO GO AND SPEAK WITH HER. SHE APPEARED RESIGNED AND READY TO GO TO THE WALL FOR PUNISHMENT. A SPECIAL EFFORT TO COMFORT HER WAS MADE BY ALL. FORTUNATELY THERE WAS A MAN IN THE REAR THAT COULD INTERPRET FOR HER. WHEN WE ARRIVED ATL, OUR AGENTS TOOK SPECIAL CARE OF HER, WITH THE HELP OF THE INTERPRETER.

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.