Narrative:

The flight attendant #4 was the fist person to detect a burning plastic smell from where we were standing in the tailcone exit are. I walked up a few rows and then noticed the same smell she was describing. We immediately called the cockpit and told them of the smell, he said one of the two of them would come back and check it out, since we were not able to find the source of this burning plastic smell (we had already checked out the galley area, as well as the bathrooms.) while I stayed in the aft portion of the cabin, the other flight attendant, #4 went out with the trash bag to pick up trash from passengers and see if the smell was apparent out in the cabin, too, as it was in the galley. Upon returning to the aft part of plane (with the captain there too), we all smelled it and then the captain noticed smoke coming from the trash bag that flight attendant #4 had just come back with. We looked inside and saw it was coming from a white air sick bag (that passenger's use in case of airsickness.) being very careful, we slightly opend and noticed a styrofoam coffee cup, dirty napkins and a military plastic heating bag (M.right.east.) that this passenger later told the other flight attendant that he was using it to cook/heat his food he brought on board. We immediately dumped the M.right.east. And contents in the lavatory sink full of cold water to put out the heat and then blocked/locked off the lavatory, it was still hot over one and a half hours later to landing. The passenger said he had done this before on other flights. The military should be notified to educate their personnel on where not to use hazardous burining units such as these. I would appreciate knowing what sort of action will be taken, if any. Callback conversation with the reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that when she looked inside the gray, M.right.east. Bag, she saw a black object the size of a nickel. She not only put the M.right.east. Bag in a sink of water, but put tons of ice over it. When she talked to the soldier, and he said he had used it on other flights, she did not ask if he used it on military or commercial flts. The soldier was very apologetic and embarrassed by the commotion he had caused, and didn't know how dangerous the incident could have been. The crew didn't know what to do with the M.right.east. For landing as the reporter didn't want it in the sink. She then decided to put it in beverage drawer and put it in the locked crew carrier behind the last row of seats. She doesn't know if the captain had logged it. Because this was a 'red eye,' the only company representative there was a gate agent. She told him where it was and also left a note for the outbound crew, in case nothing had been done with it by the time they boarded. The reporter believes that if it is a hazardous material, it should be labeled as such, and special forms filled out, and perhaps, not carried at all by commercial airliners.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CAB RPT, S80, ONT-DFW. SMOKE IN CABIN CAUSED BY SOLDIER COOKING OWN MILITARY MEAL IN MILITARY HEATING UNIT (MRE). PLACED HOT UNIT IN LAV SINK (WATER). STILL HOT AFTER 1 PT 5 HOURS.

Narrative: THE FA #4 WAS THE FIST PERSON TO DETECT A BURNING PLASTIC SMELL FROM WHERE WE WERE STANDING IN THE TAILCONE EXIT ARE. I WALKED UP A FEW ROWS AND THEN NOTICED THE SAME SMELL SHE WAS DESCRIBING. WE IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE COCKPIT AND TOLD THEM OF THE SMELL, HE SAID ONE OF THE TWO OF THEM WOULD COME BACK AND CHECK IT OUT, SINCE WE WERE NOT ABLE TO FIND THE SOURCE OF THIS BURNING PLASTIC SMELL (WE HAD ALREADY CHECKED OUT THE GALLEY AREA, AS WELL AS THE BATHROOMS.) WHILE I STAYED IN THE AFT PORTION OF THE CABIN, THE OTHER FA, #4 WENT OUT WITH THE TRASH BAG TO PICK UP TRASH FROM PAXS AND SEE IF THE SMELL WAS APPARENT OUT IN THE CABIN, TOO, AS IT WAS IN THE GALLEY. UPON RETURNING TO THE AFT PART OF PLANE (WITH THE CAPT THERE TOO), WE ALL SMELLED IT AND THEN THE CAPT NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE TRASH BAG THAT FA #4 HAD JUST COME BACK WITH. WE LOOKED INSIDE AND SAW IT WAS COMING FROM A WHITE AIR SICK BAG (THAT PAX'S USE IN CASE OF AIRSICKNESS.) BEING VERY CAREFUL, WE SLIGHTLY OPEND AND NOTICED A STYROFOAM COFFEE CUP, DIRTY NAPKINS AND A MILITARY PLASTIC HEATING BAG (M.R.E.) THAT THIS PAX LATER TOLD THE OTHER FA THAT HE WAS USING IT TO COOK/HEAT HIS FOOD HE BROUGHT ON BOARD. WE IMMEDIATELY DUMPED THE M.R.E. AND CONTENTS IN THE LAVATORY SINK FULL OF COLD WATER TO PUT OUT THE HEAT AND THEN BLOCKED/LOCKED OFF THE LAVATORY, IT WAS STILL HOT OVER ONE AND A HALF HOURS LATER TO LNDG. THE PAX SAID HE HAD DONE THIS BEFORE ON OTHER FLIGHTS. THE MILITARY SHOULD BE NOTIFIED TO EDUCATE THEIR PERSONNEL ON WHERE NOT TO USE HAZARDOUS BURINING UNITS SUCH AS THESE. I WOULD APPRECIATE KNOWING WHAT SORT OF ACTION WILL BE TAKEN, IF ANY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH THE RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT WHEN SHE LOOKED INSIDE THE GRAY, M.R.E. BAG, SHE SAW A BLACK OBJECT THE SIZE OF A NICKEL. SHE NOT ONLY PUT THE M.R.E. BAG IN A SINK OF WATER, BUT PUT TONS OF ICE OVER IT. WHEN SHE TALKED TO THE SOLDIER, AND HE SAID HE HAD USED IT ON OTHER FLIGHTS, SHE DID NOT ASK IF HE USED IT ON MILITARY OR COMMERCIAL FLTS. THE SOLDIER WAS VERY APOLOGETIC AND EMBARRASSED BY THE COMMOTION HE HAD CAUSED, AND DIDN'T KNOW HOW DANGEROUS THE INCIDENT COULD HAVE BEEN. THE CREW DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THE M.R.E. FOR LNDG AS THE RPTR DIDN'T WANT IT IN THE SINK. SHE THEN DECIDED TO PUT IT IN BEVERAGE DRAWER AND PUT IT IN THE LOCKED CREW CARRIER BEHIND THE LAST ROW OF SEATS. SHE DOESN'T KNOW IF THE CAPT HAD LOGGED IT. BECAUSE THIS WAS A 'RED EYE,' THE ONLY COMPANY REPRESENTATIVE THERE WAS A GATE AGENT. SHE TOLD HIM WHERE IT WAS AND ALSO LEFT A NOTE FOR THE OUTBOUND CREW, IN CASE NOTHING HAD BEEN DONE WITH IT BY THE TIME THEY BOARDED. THE RPTR BELIEVES THAT IF IT IS A HAZARDOUS MATERIAL, IT SHOULD BE LABELED AS SUCH, AND SPECIAL FORMS FILLED OUT, AND PERHAPS, NOT CARRIED AT ALL BY COMMERCIAL AIRLINERS.

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.