Flight attendant report, DC10, passenger smoking in lavatory. No arrest.

Attributes
ACN	438896
Time
Date	199905
Day	Fri
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : zoa.artcc
State Reference	CA
Environment
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zoa.artcc
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	DC-10 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
Qualification	flight attendant : currently qualified flight attendant aircraft qualified on : 6
Experience	flight attendant time airline total : 26 flight attendant time total : 26 flight attendant time type : 95
ASRS Report	438896
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight attendant : on duty oversight : flight attendant in charge
Qualification	flight attendant : currently qualified
Events
Anomaly	cabin event : passenger misconduct other anomaly
Independent Detector	other other : 1
Resolutory Action	other
Consequence	other Other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Company FAA Passenger Human Performance
Primary Problem	Passenger Human Performance

Narrative:

A smoke alarm in bathroom in rear of airplane went off during snack service. I had already smelled smoke in this same lavatory earlier in flight and checked lavatory. I went to lavatory and knocked on the door. A passenger came out of smoke filled lavatory, obviously smoking. I told him he could not smoke and he apologized, he knew he shouldn't smoke. I reported the incident to the premium, and she spoke to him. Passenger was met in hnl, but released as he spoke chinese. It was clear he understood what he had done. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that the man smoked in the same lavatory a first time without setting the smoke alarm off. The second time he smoked in the lavatory, the alarm went off. She has been told by her company that people sometimes circumvent the smoke detector by blowing smoke down the toilet while it is swirling, or even the water drain, because then it vents it outside the airplane. In this instance, the passenger pretended he didn't speak english, only chinese. The police came on board the plane on arrival in hnl and took him off. She later heard that he was let go because he claimed he only spoke chinese, and didn't realize what he had done. The reporter stated that she knew from her encounters with him that he could speak enough english to know what he had done.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT ATTENDANT RPT, DC10, PAX SMOKING IN LAVATORY. NO ARREST.

Narrative: A SMOKE ALARM IN BATHROOM IN REAR OF AIRPLANE WENT OFF DURING SNACK SVC. I HAD ALREADY SMELLED SMOKE IN THIS SAME LAVATORY EARLIER IN FLT AND CHKED LAVATORY. I WENT TO LAVATORY AND KNOCKED ON THE DOOR. A PAX CAME OUT OF SMOKE FILLED LAVATORY, OBVIOUSLY SMOKING. I TOLD HIM HE COULD NOT SMOKE AND HE APOLOGIZED, HE KNEW HE SHOULDN'T SMOKE. I RPTED THE INCIDENT TO THE PREMIUM, AND SHE SPOKE TO HIM. PAX WAS MET IN HNL, BUT RELEASED AS HE SPOKE CHINESE. IT WAS CLR HE UNDERSTOOD WHAT HE HAD DONE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT THE MAN SMOKED IN THE SAME LAVATORY A FIRST TIME WITHOUT SETTING THE SMOKE ALARM OFF. THE SECOND TIME HE SMOKED IN THE LAVATORY, THE ALARM WENT OFF. SHE HAS BEEN TOLD BY HER COMPANY THAT PEOPLE SOMETIMES CIRCUMVENT THE SMOKE DETECTOR BY BLOWING SMOKE DOWN THE TOILET WHILE IT IS SWIRLING, OR EVEN THE WATER DRAIN, BECAUSE THEN IT VENTS IT OUTSIDE THE AIRPLANE. IN THIS INSTANCE, THE PAX PRETENDED HE DIDN'T SPEAK ENGLISH, ONLY CHINESE. THE POLICE CAME ON BOARD THE PLANE ON ARR IN HNL AND TOOK HIM OFF. SHE LATER HEARD THAT HE WAS LET GO BECAUSE HE CLAIMED HE ONLY SPOKE CHINESE, AND DIDN'T REALIZE WHAT HE HAD DONE. THE RPTR STATED THAT SHE KNEW FROM HER ENCOUNTERS WITH HIM THAT HE COULD SPEAK ENOUGH ENGLISH TO KNOW WHAT HE HAD DONE.

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.