Narrative:

Air carrier flight xyz from clt to msp. We were cruising at FL350 on a vector for north brook (obk) when able. ZID was the controling agency. We had 4 flight attendants on board. One of the flight attendants came up to the cockpit. She was concerned that she was not getting enough oxygen. She asked if we had an oxygen problem. We checked pressurization and pack operation and they were fine. She said she felt dizzy. The captain asked her to check with the other flight attendants to see how they were doing. She came back and said that the 'lead' in the front of the aircraft was fine, but that the other 2 flight attendants in the back were also feeling dizzy and had nausea. The captain and I looked at each other and I suggested that I go on oxygen and fly and he check it out. When he went back he could not see or smell anything but he said his eyes felt 'drier than normal.' the captain and I were discussing our options when the flight attendant came back and said an air carrier pilot non-revenue passenger felt dizzy. I had already determined ind was our best divert and our landing weight while the captain was in the cabin. The captain made an announcement for any passenger feeling ill to identify themselves and at least 2 did. The captain asked for my opinion and I told him that with what we had for information we can justify going to ind but if it gets worse we can't justify continuing. He agreed, went on oxygen also and requested a divert to ind. ZID asked if we wanted to declare an emergency but we said not at this time. We didn't really know what we had. (But in retrospect, we should have declared an emergency.) we were both on oxygen, the captain was contacting dispatch, briefing passenger and flight attendant's on what was going on, why, and how much time it would take as well as pull out approach charts and monitor my progress flying to ensure all was well. ZID gave us vectors for approximately 180 degree turn to 20 NM final. Center asked if we wanted crash trucks and the captain said yes, and that he would like them to check for smoke or fluids coming from the aircraft, and to also check the cargo compartments. Normal rollout on runway to full stop. We opened our windows and crash crew checked out the aircraft and cargo compartments with an 'all clear.' callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that when on the ground the passenger's carry on baggage, cargo pit baggage and air freight were removed and examined with no findings of what caused the fumes. The reporter said 2 flight attendants went to the hospital for treatment and returned several hours later. The reporter said the aircraft overnighted in ind and was worked by maintenance to locate the source of the fumes. The reporter stated the inbound crew was to ferry the aircraft to another station and the logbook report on the fumes was signed off. The reporter said maintenance found soap or solvent in the left air conditioning pack area and the water separator saturated with the soap or solvent. The reporter stated no details were available on how the soap or solvent contaminated the left pack area or entered the water separator. The reporter said the ferry flight was normal with no evidence of fumes. Callback conversation with reporter acn 416744 revealed the following information: the reporter stated that no information was available from maintenance on the soap or solvent found in the left system and how it entered the water separator. The reporter stated the left pack feeds conditioned air mainly to the cockpit and forward cabin and yet the forward flight attendant and the flight crew felt no physical discomfort. The reporter said when the aft cabin was checked by the reporter slight eye burning was experienced.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A DC9-50 IN CRUISE AT FL350 DIVERTED DUE TO FUMES IN THE PAX CABIN CAUSED BY SOAP OR SOLVENT IN THE L AIR CONDITIONING COMPARTMENT THAT SATURATED THE WATER SEPARATOR.

Narrative: ACR FLT XYZ FROM CLT TO MSP. WE WERE CRUISING AT FL350 ON A VECTOR FOR NORTH BROOK (OBK) WHEN ABLE. ZID WAS THE CTLING AGENCY. WE HAD 4 FLT ATTENDANTS ON BOARD. ONE OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS CAME UP TO THE COCKPIT. SHE WAS CONCERNED THAT SHE WAS NOT GETTING ENOUGH OXYGEN. SHE ASKED IF WE HAD AN OXYGEN PROB. WE CHKED PRESSURIZATION AND PACK OP AND THEY WERE FINE. SHE SAID SHE FELT DIZZY. THE CAPT ASKED HER TO CHK WITH THE OTHER FLT ATTENDANTS TO SEE HOW THEY WERE DOING. SHE CAME BACK AND SAID THAT THE 'LEAD' IN THE FRONT OF THE ACFT WAS FINE, BUT THAT THE OTHER 2 FLT ATTENDANTS IN THE BACK WERE ALSO FEELING DIZZY AND HAD NAUSEA. THE CAPT AND I LOOKED AT EACH OTHER AND I SUGGESTED THAT I GO ON OXYGEN AND FLY AND HE CHECK IT OUT. WHEN HE WENT BACK HE COULD NOT SEE OR SMELL ANYTHING BUT HE SAID HIS EYES FELT 'DRIER THAN NORMAL.' THE CAPT AND I WERE DISCUSSING OUR OPTIONS WHEN THE FLT ATTENDANT CAME BACK AND SAID AN ACR PLT NON-REVENUE PAX FELT DIZZY. I HAD ALREADY DETERMINED IND WAS OUR BEST DIVERT AND OUR LNDG WT WHILE THE CAPT WAS IN THE CABIN. THE CAPT MADE AN ANNOUNCEMENT FOR ANY PAX FEELING ILL TO IDENT THEMSELVES AND AT LEAST 2 DID. THE CAPT ASKED FOR MY OPINION AND I TOLD HIM THAT WITH WHAT WE HAD FOR INFO WE CAN JUSTIFY GOING TO IND BUT IF IT GETS WORSE WE CAN'T JUSTIFY CONTINUING. HE AGREED, WENT ON OXYGEN ALSO AND REQUESTED A DIVERT TO IND. ZID ASKED IF WE WANTED TO DECLARE AN EMER BUT WE SAID NOT AT THIS TIME. WE DIDN'T REALLY KNOW WHAT WE HAD. (BUT IN RETROSPECT, WE SHOULD HAVE DECLARED AN EMER.) WE WERE BOTH ON OXYGEN, THE CAPT WAS CONTACTING DISPATCH, BRIEFING PAX AND FA'S ON WHAT WAS GOING ON, WHY, AND HOW MUCH TIME IT WOULD TAKE AS WELL AS PULL OUT APCH CHARTS AND MONITOR MY PROGRESS FLYING TO ENSURE ALL WAS WELL. ZID GAVE US VECTORS FOR APPROX 180 DEG TURN TO 20 NM FINAL. CTR ASKED IF WE WANTED CRASH TRUCKS AND THE CAPT SAID YES, AND THAT HE WOULD LIKE THEM TO CHK FOR SMOKE OR FLUIDS COMING FROM THE ACFT, AND TO ALSO CHK THE CARGO COMPARTMENTS. NORMAL ROLLOUT ON RWY TO FULL STOP. WE OPENED OUR WINDOWS AND CRASH CREW CHKED OUT THE ACFT AND CARGO COMPARTMENTS WITH AN 'ALL CLR.' CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT WHEN ON THE GND THE PAX'S CARRY ON BAGGAGE, CARGO PIT BAGGAGE AND AIR FREIGHT WERE REMOVED AND EXAMINED WITH NO FINDINGS OF WHAT CAUSED THE FUMES. THE RPTR SAID 2 FLT ATTENDANTS WENT TO THE HOSPITAL FOR TREATMENT AND RETURNED SEVERAL HRS LATER. THE RPTR SAID THE ACFT OVERNIGHTED IN IND AND WAS WORKED BY MAINT TO LOCATE THE SOURCE OF THE FUMES. THE RPTR STATED THE INBOUND CREW WAS TO FERRY THE ACFT TO ANOTHER STATION AND THE LOGBOOK RPT ON THE FUMES WAS SIGNED OFF. THE RPTR SAID MAINT FOUND SOAP OR SOLVENT IN THE L AIR CONDITIONING PACK AREA AND THE WATER SEPARATOR SATURATED WITH THE SOAP OR SOLVENT. THE RPTR STATED NO DETAILS WERE AVAILABLE ON HOW THE SOAP OR SOLVENT CONTAMINATED THE L PACK AREA OR ENTERED THE WATER SEPARATOR. THE RPTR SAID THE FERRY FLT WAS NORMAL WITH NO EVIDENCE OF FUMES. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR ACN 416744 REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT NO INFO WAS AVAILABLE FROM MAINT ON THE SOAP OR SOLVENT FOUND IN THE L SYS AND HOW IT ENTERED THE WATER SEPARATOR. THE RPTR STATED THE L PACK FEEDS CONDITIONED AIR MAINLY TO THE COCKPIT AND FORWARD CABIN AND YET THE FORWARD FLT ATTENDANT AND THE FLC FELT NO PHYSICAL DISCOMFORT. THE RPTR SAID WHEN THE AFT CABIN WAS CHKED BY THE RPTR SLIGHT EYE BURNING WAS EXPERIENCED.

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.