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Flight attendant report, B757-jfk-sxm, captain discovered passenger smoke in lavatory. Cigarette butt in garbage.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 438211 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199905 |
| Day | Fri |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601 To 1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | atc facility : zny.artcc |
| State Reference | NY |
| Environment | |
| Weather Elements | Turbulence |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | artcc : zny.artcc |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | B757 Undifferentiated or Other Model |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | cruise : level |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight attendant : on duty oversight : flight attendant in charge |
| Qualification | flight attendant : currently qualified flight attendant aircraft qualified on : 7 |
| Experience | flight attendant time airline total : 28 flight attendant time total : 28 flight attendant time type : 50 |
| ASRS Report | 438200 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | cabin event : passenger misconduct non adherence : far non adherence : company policies non adherence : published procedure other anomaly |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : unable |
| Consequence | other |
| Supplementary | |
| Problem Areas | Passenger Human Performance FAA Company |
| Primary Problem | Passenger Human Performance |
Narrative:
Captain was waiting to use first class lavatory when passenger seated in seat xx exited lavatory. Purser (myself) was there along with another passenger, also waiting to use first class lavatory. All 3 of us smelled smoke when he exited. Captain found cigarette butt in lavatory garbage. The no smoking sign was on, all appropriate videos and PA's had been made. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that the smoke alarm never sounded. She said the captain had the seatbelt sign on, because they were going through some moderate turbulence, and the passenger got up to use the lavatory while the sign was still on. The captain came out immediately to use the lavatory after he turned the sign off, and the man was exiting the lavatory, followed by billowing smoke. The reporter said she had been led to believe by her company that the smoke detector was only activated by heat, not smoke. The reporter and the captain wrote up reports to their airline's events center, and not to outside officials, such as the FAA.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: FLT ATTENDANT RPT, B757-JFK-SXM, CAPT DISCOVERED PAX SMOKE IN LAVATORY. CIGARETTE BUTT IN GARBAGE.
Narrative: CAPT WAS WAITING TO USE FIRST CLASS LAVATORY WHEN PAX SEATED IN SEAT XX EXITED LAVATORY. PURSER (MYSELF) WAS THERE ALONG WITH ANOTHER PAX, ALSO WAITING TO USE FIRST CLASS LAVATORY. ALL 3 OF US SMELLED SMOKE WHEN HE EXITED. CAPT FOUND CIGARETTE BUTT IN LAVATORY GARBAGE. THE NO SMOKING SIGN WAS ON, ALL APPROPRIATE VIDEOS AND PA'S HAD BEEN MADE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT THE SMOKE ALARM NEVER SOUNDED. SHE SAID THE CAPT HAD THE SEATBELT SIGN ON, BECAUSE THEY WERE GOING THROUGH SOME MODERATE TURB, AND THE PAX GOT UP TO USE THE LAVATORY WHILE THE SIGN WAS STILL ON. THE CAPT CAME OUT IMMEDIATELY TO USE THE LAVATORY AFTER HE TURNED THE SIGN OFF, AND THE MAN WAS EXITING THE LAVATORY, FOLLOWED BY BILLOWING SMOKE. THE RPTR SAID SHE HAD BEEN LED TO BELIEVE BY HER COMPANY THAT THE SMOKE DETECTOR WAS ONLY ACTIVATED BY HEAT, NOT SMOKE. THE RPTR AND THE CAPT WROTE UP RPTS TO THEIR AIRLINE'S EVENTS CTR, AND NOT TO OUTSIDE OFFICIALS, SUCH AS THE FAA.
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.