Narrative:

At the gate, just before door closing, lead flight attendant came into cockpit and said the other flight attendant had smelled smoke in one of the aft lavatories. Lead flight attendant was concerned about the smoke alarm in the lavatory, as far as why it didn't go off. She said she wanted to block off lavatory. I told her that I didn't think that the fact the alarm didn't go off was an indication that it was inoperative, but much more likely that the level of smoke wasn't high enough to activate the alarm. I also told her that if indeed she did feel it was inoperative, we should write it up and get it checked (by maintenance) before we left. She said she just wanted to 'block it off.' I told her again that wasn't what we should do, and she replied, 'well then we just will not use it.' we had only a light load, so I said ok and we left. The question remains: should we have had the alarm checked out or not? There was no visible smoke, only odor. A cigarette butt was found and removed. We didn't know who put it there, it could have been a passenger or a ground person. Supplemental information from acn 449230: the flight attendant didn't know who (if, in fact anyone of the passenger) had placed the butt in the trash. Since the trash was removed, the flight continued.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MULTIPLE PLT RPT ON DC9 AT GATE IN MSP. FLT ATTENDANT SMELLED SMOKE IN LAVATORY, FOUND CIGARETTE BUTT, BUT NO SMOKE ALARM ACTIVATED.

Narrative: AT THE GATE, JUST BEFORE DOOR CLOSING, LEAD FLT ATTENDANT CAME INTO COCKPIT AND SAID THE OTHER FLT ATTENDANT HAD SMELLED SMOKE IN ONE OF THE AFT LAVATORIES. LEAD FLT ATTENDANT WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE SMOKE ALARM IN THE LAVATORY, AS FAR AS WHY IT DIDN'T GO OFF. SHE SAID SHE WANTED TO BLOCK OFF LAVATORY. I TOLD HER THAT I DIDN'T THINK THAT THE FACT THE ALARM DIDN'T GO OFF WAS AN INDICATION THAT IT WAS INOP, BUT MUCH MORE LIKELY THAT THE LEVEL OF SMOKE WASN'T HIGH ENOUGH TO ACTIVATE THE ALARM. I ALSO TOLD HER THAT IF INDEED SHE DID FEEL IT WAS INOP, WE SHOULD WRITE IT UP AND GET IT CHKED (BY MAINT) BEFORE WE LEFT. SHE SAID SHE JUST WANTED TO 'BLOCK IT OFF.' I TOLD HER AGAIN THAT WASN'T WHAT WE SHOULD DO, AND SHE REPLIED, 'WELL THEN WE JUST WILL NOT USE IT.' WE HAD ONLY A LIGHT LOAD, SO I SAID OK AND WE LEFT. THE QUESTION REMAINS: SHOULD WE HAVE HAD THE ALARM CHKED OUT OR NOT? THERE WAS NO VISIBLE SMOKE, ONLY ODOR. A CIGARETTE BUTT WAS FOUND AND REMOVED. WE DIDN'T KNOW WHO PUT IT THERE, IT COULD HAVE BEEN A PAX OR A GND PERSON. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 449230: THE FLT ATTENDANT DIDN'T KNOW WHO (IF, IN FACT ANYONE OF THE PAX) HAD PLACED THE BUTT IN THE TRASH. SINCE THE TRASH WAS REMOVED, THE FLT CONTINUED.

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.