Narrative:

While boarding passenger on flight XXX rdu-phl, a flight attendant said a passenger was requesting to take pictures of the aircraft wing with his digital camera during takeoff and landing. I gave the flight attendant my business card to give to the passenger and told her to tell the passenger it was ok to take pictures. I also told her to tell the passenger to send me some copies if he got a chance. Well, today he sent me the pictures via e-mail of which he had posted on a web site. He had a disclaimer on the web site that even though it was illegal to use a digital camera during takeoff and landing that he had received special dispensation from an air carrier X captain to use his digital camera. This passenger claims that a digital camera is in the same category as a cell phone and laptop computer. If this passenger is correct and I would have known this, I would have never allowed him to use the digital camera. I called the union safety and engineering department and told them what had happened. They said this was a gray area and recommended that I file a NASA report.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737 PIC AUTHORIZES A PAX TO TAKE A DIGITAL PHOTO OF THE ACFT DURING TKOF AND LNDG ON A FLT FROM RDU TO PHL, PA.

Narrative: WHILE BOARDING PAX ON FLT XXX RDU-PHL, A FLT ATTENDANT SAID A PAX WAS REQUESTING TO TAKE PICTURES OF THE ACFT WING WITH HIS DIGITAL CAMERA DURING TKOF AND LNDG. I GAVE THE FLT ATTENDANT MY BUSINESS CARD TO GIVE TO THE PAX AND TOLD HER TO TELL THE PAX IT WAS OK TO TAKE PICTURES. I ALSO TOLD HER TO TELL THE PAX TO SEND ME SOME COPIES IF HE GOT A CHANCE. WELL, TODAY HE SENT ME THE PICTURES VIA E-MAIL OF WHICH HE HAD POSTED ON A WEB SITE. HE HAD A DISCLAIMER ON THE WEB SITE THAT EVEN THOUGH IT WAS ILLEGAL TO USE A DIGITAL CAMERA DURING TKOF AND LNDG THAT HE HAD RECEIVED SPECIAL DISPENSATION FROM AN ACR X CAPT TO USE HIS DIGITAL CAMERA. THIS PAX CLAIMS THAT A DIGITAL CAMERA IS IN THE SAME CATEGORY AS A CELL PHONE AND LAPTOP COMPUTER. IF THIS PAX IS CORRECT AND I WOULD HAVE KNOWN THIS, I WOULD HAVE NEVER ALLOWED HIM TO USE THE DIGITAL CAMERA. I CALLED THE UNION SAFETY AND ENGINEERING DEPT AND TOLD THEM WHAT HAD HAPPENED. THEY SAID THIS WAS A GRAY AREA AND RECOMMENDED THAT I FILE A NASA RPT.

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.