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37000 Feet | Browse and search NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System |
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Odor of nail polish in aircraft made flight attendants and passenger feel ill. Aircraft diverted to boi, identification. There, the hazmat team creates some confusion, not finding the source of odor. Airline ground crew does -- nail polish remover in passenger bag, leaking in the overhead bin.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 399816 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199804 |
| Day | Fri |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201 To 1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | atc facility : reo airport : boi |
| State Reference | ID |
| Altitude | agl bound lower : 29000 agl bound upper : 29000 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | artcc : zlc tower : boi |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | MD-82 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | landing other other other |
| Route In Use | enroute other |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : commercial pilot : flight engineer pilot : instrument pilot : atp |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 200 flight time total : 11000 flight time type : 6000 |
| ASRS Report | 399816 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Qualification | pilot : instrument pilot : commercial |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | aircraft equipment problem : critical other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other other : unspecified |
| Resolutory Action | flight crew : declared emergency other |
| Consequence | other Other |
| Supplementary | |
| Air Traffic Incident | other |
| Situations | |
| Airport | procedure or policy : unspecified |
Narrative:
Flight attendants and passenger complained of nail polish remover/acetone type odor and fumes in cabin. I went back and verified a very strong acetone type odor. It was very strong from the gasper vents along row 8. Diversion was made to boi (approximately 80 NM away). Emergency declared as flight attendants and passenger reported not feeling well. Odor was now present in cockpit. Oxygen was utilized by us -- appropriate normal/abnormal checklists accomplished. Visual approach to overweight landing made at boi. On the ground in boi, flight attendants sought medical attention. All 137 passenger did not seek medical attention after deplaning. Flight attendants later released from hospital ok. Boi fire department hazmat personnel 'impounded' our aircraft. After a very lengthy search by their 'hi-tech' team, they did not find the source of the problem. The aircraft was released back to us. Within mins our ramp personnel located a large jar of nail polish remover in a passenger bag in an overhead compartment. Its entire contents had leaked. While everything associated with this situation was accomplished safely, conservatively, and in accordance with our procedures, the hazmat response -- which we had not requested -- was totally inappropriate. Their 'impounding' of the aircraft was a major obstacle in resolving this situation. Their response needed to be tempered with common sense.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: ODOR OF NAIL POLISH IN ACFT MADE FLT ATTENDANTS AND PAX FEEL ILL. ACFT DIVERTED TO BOI, ID. THERE, THE HAZMAT TEAM CREATES SOME CONFUSION, NOT FINDING THE SOURCE OF ODOR. AIRLINE GND CREW DOES -- NAIL POLISH REMOVER IN PAX BAG, LEAKING IN THE OVERHEAD BIN.
Narrative: FLT ATTENDANTS AND PAX COMPLAINED OF NAIL POLISH REMOVER/ACETONE TYPE ODOR AND FUMES IN CABIN. I WENT BACK AND VERIFIED A VERY STRONG ACETONE TYPE ODOR. IT WAS VERY STRONG FROM THE GASPER VENTS ALONG ROW 8. DIVERSION WAS MADE TO BOI (APPROX 80 NM AWAY). EMER DECLARED AS FLT ATTENDANTS AND PAX RPTED NOT FEELING WELL. ODOR WAS NOW PRESENT IN COCKPIT. OXYGEN WAS UTILIZED BY US -- APPROPRIATE NORMAL/ABNORMAL CHKLISTS ACCOMPLISHED. VISUAL APCH TO OVERWT LNDG MADE AT BOI. ON THE GND IN BOI, FLT ATTENDANTS SOUGHT MEDICAL ATTN. ALL 137 PAX DID NOT SEEK MEDICAL ATTN AFTER DEPLANING. FLT ATTENDANTS LATER RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL OK. BOI FIRE DEPT HAZMAT PERSONNEL 'IMPOUNDED' OUR ACFT. AFTER A VERY LENGTHY SEARCH BY THEIR 'HI-TECH' TEAM, THEY DID NOT FIND THE SOURCE OF THE PROB. THE ACFT WAS RELEASED BACK TO US. WITHIN MINS OUR RAMP PERSONNEL LOCATED A LARGE JAR OF NAIL POLISH REMOVER IN A PAX BAG IN AN OVERHEAD COMPARTMENT. ITS ENTIRE CONTENTS HAD LEAKED. WHILE EVERYTHING ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SIT WAS ACCOMPLISHED SAFELY, CONSERVATIVELY, AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH OUR PROCS, THE HAZMAT RESPONSE -- WHICH WE HAD NOT REQUESTED -- WAS TOTALLY INAPPROPRIATE. THEIR 'IMPOUNDING' OF THE ACFT WAS A MAJOR OBSTACLE IN RESOLVING THIS SIT. THEIR RESPONSE NEEDED TO BE TEMPERED WITH COMMON SENSE.
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.