Narrative:

Just after I'd armed my doors, I noticed a flight attendant moving up the left side of the plane and then another flight attendant called me on the interphone. She told me there was smoke in the 4L lav and that the interphone was busy to the cockpit, so another flight attendant was going to the cockpit to stop pushback and get assistance. I left my door, as there was only 1 flight attendant in the aft galley. I got the halon from the 4R door area and after seeing and smelling smoke, fired it into the lav trash container. The flight attendant in the galley area told me that galley liquids had not stopped the smoke. After using the halon, I returned to my doors at 3R, as a pilot and other flight attendants had reached the area. The pilot opened the compartment and was satisfied the problem was solved and the flight continued uneventfully. Prior to smelling smoke in the lav, a flight attendant had smelled tobacco smoke on a passenger exiting the lav during boarding. However, another passenger entering the lav obstructed the view, so she was unable to identify the person. The greatest difficulty with this incident was the inability to contact the cockpit quickly. The phone system on the B777 only allows for one at a time conversations, unlike other of our airline's phones which have a party line. With any other plane at airline X, the aft flight attendants could have rung 4 chimes throughout the entire plane and all flight attendants would have been aware of the situation, as well as the cockpit. One flight attendant would have remained on the interphone, while another would have fought what we believed was a fire. Then I would not have left my door. But, because there was only one flight attendant at the problem, and it appeared to be a fire, I thought it best to leave my door and go aft. This wasn't an easy decision, as my door area was left unattended. I believe the interphone system on the B777 is a safety hazard. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that the smoke alarm never sounded, nor did the trash bin fire extinguisher activate. The smoke in the lav was thick enough that one could not see oneself in the mirror. It was the relief pilot who came back and pulled the trash container out to make sure the fire was out. They didn't see any charred remains of a fire. The reporter said that there is no override on the communication system, either to the cockpit or to the purser. On all the other types of aircraft in their fleet, 4 chimes signals the cockpit and other flight attendants of an immediate emergency. The intercom on the B777 doesn't allow for this, so the calls from the cabin are queued up on the pilot's screen, and answered by them in the order received. The reporter believes that they were lucky in this situation, where flight attendants had to leave their doors unattended, that they didn't have a passenger initiated evacuate/evacuation. In addition to not having an override for calling the captain, when the flight attendants arm their doors, they are supposed to call the purser and notify her/him that the doors are armed. They can't do this, because the phone line is busy. Consequently, the flight attendants have resorted to announcing over the PA that their individual door is armed.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CAB RPT, B777, NRT-SEA. BOARDING, SMOKE IN LAV, NO ALARM. CAB FOUGHT FIRE, BUT COULDN'T NOTIFY COCKPIT BY PHONE DUE TO BUSY SIGNAL, NO SYS OVERRIDE.

Narrative: JUST AFTER I'D ARMED MY DOORS, I NOTICED A FLT ATTENDANT MOVING UP THE L SIDE OF THE PLANE AND THEN ANOTHER FLT ATTENDANT CALLED ME ON THE INTERPHONE. SHE TOLD ME THERE WAS SMOKE IN THE 4L LAV AND THAT THE INTERPHONE WAS BUSY TO THE COCKPIT, SO ANOTHER FLT ATTENDANT WAS GOING TO THE COCKPIT TO STOP PUSHBACK AND GET ASSISTANCE. I LEFT MY DOOR, AS THERE WAS ONLY 1 FLT ATTENDANT IN THE AFT GALLEY. I GOT THE HALON FROM THE 4R DOOR AREA AND AFTER SEEING AND SMELLING SMOKE, FIRED IT INTO THE LAV TRASH CONTAINER. THE FLT ATTENDANT IN THE GALLEY AREA TOLD ME THAT GALLEY LIQUIDS HAD NOT STOPPED THE SMOKE. AFTER USING THE HALON, I RETURNED TO MY DOORS AT 3R, AS A PLT AND OTHER FLT ATTENDANTS HAD REACHED THE AREA. THE PLT OPENED THE COMPARTMENT AND WAS SATISFIED THE PROB WAS SOLVED AND THE FLT CONTINUED UNEVENTFULLY. PRIOR TO SMELLING SMOKE IN THE LAV, A FLT ATTENDANT HAD SMELLED TOBACCO SMOKE ON A PAX EXITING THE LAV DURING BOARDING. HOWEVER, ANOTHER PAX ENTERING THE LAV OBSTRUCTED THE VIEW, SO SHE WAS UNABLE TO IDENT THE PERSON. THE GREATEST DIFFICULTY WITH THIS INCIDENT WAS THE INABILITY TO CONTACT THE COCKPIT QUICKLY. THE PHONE SYS ON THE B777 ONLY ALLOWS FOR ONE AT A TIME CONVERSATIONS, UNLIKE OTHER OF OUR AIRLINE'S PHONES WHICH HAVE A PARTY LINE. WITH ANY OTHER PLANE AT AIRLINE X, THE AFT FLT ATTENDANTS COULD HAVE RUNG 4 CHIMES THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE PLANE AND ALL FLT ATTENDANTS WOULD HAVE BEEN AWARE OF THE SIT, AS WELL AS THE COCKPIT. ONE FLT ATTENDANT WOULD HAVE REMAINED ON THE INTERPHONE, WHILE ANOTHER WOULD HAVE FOUGHT WHAT WE BELIEVED WAS A FIRE. THEN I WOULD NOT HAVE LEFT MY DOOR. BUT, BECAUSE THERE WAS ONLY ONE FLT ATTENDANT AT THE PROB, AND IT APPEARED TO BE A FIRE, I THOUGHT IT BEST TO LEAVE MY DOOR AND GO AFT. THIS WASN'T AN EASY DECISION, AS MY DOOR AREA WAS LEFT UNATTENDED. I BELIEVE THE INTERPHONE SYS ON THE B777 IS A SAFETY HAZARD. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT THE SMOKE ALARM NEVER SOUNDED, NOR DID THE TRASH BIN FIRE EXTINGUISHER ACTIVATE. THE SMOKE IN THE LAV WAS THICK ENOUGH THAT ONE COULD NOT SEE ONESELF IN THE MIRROR. IT WAS THE RELIEF PLT WHO CAME BACK AND PULLED THE TRASH CONTAINER OUT TO MAKE SURE THE FIRE WAS OUT. THEY DIDN'T SEE ANY CHARRED REMAINS OF A FIRE. THE RPTR SAID THAT THERE IS NO OVERRIDE ON THE COM SYS, EITHER TO THE COCKPIT OR TO THE PURSER. ON ALL THE OTHER TYPES OF ACFT IN THEIR FLEET, 4 CHIMES SIGNALS THE COCKPIT AND OTHER FLT ATTENDANTS OF AN IMMEDIATE EMER. THE INTERCOM ON THE B777 DOESN'T ALLOW FOR THIS, SO THE CALLS FROM THE CABIN ARE QUEUED UP ON THE PLT'S SCREEN, AND ANSWERED BY THEM IN THE ORDER RECEIVED. THE RPTR BELIEVES THAT THEY WERE LUCKY IN THIS SIT, WHERE FLT ATTENDANTS HAD TO LEAVE THEIR DOORS UNATTENDED, THAT THEY DIDN'T HAVE A PAX INITIATED EVAC. IN ADDITION TO NOT HAVING AN OVERRIDE FOR CALLING THE CAPT, WHEN THE FLT ATTENDANTS ARM THEIR DOORS, THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO CALL THE PURSER AND NOTIFY HER/HIM THAT THE DOORS ARE ARMED. THEY CAN'T DO THIS, BECAUSE THE PHONE LINE IS BUSY. CONSEQUENTLY, THE FLT ATTENDANTS HAVE RESORTED TO ANNOUNCING OVER THE PA THAT THEIR INDIVIDUAL DOOR IS ARMED.

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.